Research on testosterone and dominance in romantic relationships has focused on correlating basal testosterone levels with relationship outcomes, and previous work suggests the utility of using testosterone reactivity as a biological marker of social submission (e.g.,
Maner et al., 2008). The research reported here extended work in this area by investigating how dominance influences testosterone regulation in romantic partners who engaged in an emotional discussion in which one person was instructed to regulate his/her affective displays.
Because agents (i.e., those instructed to regulate affect) were constrained by the manipulation instructions, they were prevented from tuning their affective displays to those of their partner and were
put …show more content…
The current study suggests the value of considering the social and relational milieu in future studies to better understand the role of hormonal regulation in relationships.
4.1. Limitations, implications, and future directions
We examined responses to an emotionally negatively film clip rather than a relationship-specific topic because doing so would have confounded dominance and magnitude/intensity of hormonal reactivity.
That is, individuals with partners high in authority may have been unwilling to share negative feelings with their partners. By capitalizing on an existing, validated emotion regulation paradigm (e.g.,
Butler et al., 2003), the current study maximized experimental control.
However, previous research suggests emotion regulation differs as a function of the relational context (Impett et al., 2012, 2014;
UNCORRECTED PROOF
Psychoneuroendocrinology xxx (2016) xxx-xxx 7
Lemay et al., 2013). Thus, future studies may seek to replicate and extend the findings from the current research by focusing on other conversation domains. This research was the first to examine testosterone reactivity
Maner et al., 2008). The research reported here extended work in this area by investigating how dominance influences testosterone regulation in romantic partners who engaged in an emotional discussion in which one person was instructed to regulate his/her affective displays.
Because agents (i.e., those instructed to regulate affect) were constrained by the manipulation instructions, they were prevented from tuning their affective displays to those of their partner and were
put …show more content…
The current study suggests the value of considering the social and relational milieu in future studies to better understand the role of hormonal regulation in relationships.
4.1. Limitations, implications, and future directions
We examined responses to an emotionally negatively film clip rather than a relationship-specific topic because doing so would have confounded dominance and magnitude/intensity of hormonal reactivity.
That is, individuals with partners high in authority may have been unwilling to share negative feelings with their partners. By capitalizing on an existing, validated emotion regulation paradigm (e.g.,
Butler et al., 2003), the current study maximized experimental control.
However, previous research suggests emotion regulation differs as a function of the relational context (Impett et al., 2012, 2014;
UNCORRECTED PROOF
Psychoneuroendocrinology xxx (2016) xxx-xxx 7
Lemay et al., 2013). Thus, future studies may seek to replicate and extend the findings from the current research by focusing on other conversation domains. This research was the first to examine testosterone reactivity