| Project Detail |
Understanding the role of communication about sacrifice in a couple’s well-being
Poor-quality relationships can be more detrimental than smoking. A prevalent reason for divorce is when one partner sacrifices their preferences for the other. Sacrifice can lead to resentment and put relationships at risk, but it can also strengthen them. Existing research on sacrifice needs to examine how individuals express their emotions and thoughts about their sacrifices, ensuring the dyadic interaction is not overlooked. Supported by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the SAYcrifice project will investigate how couples discuss sacrifice and how it affects their personal and relationship outcomes. The project will explore different fields and use state-of-the-art methods to find effective ways for couples to communicate about sacrifice, which will be used to develop interventions.
Romantic relationships are essential for health and well-being. In fact, a poor-quality relationship is a more powerful predictor of increased mortality than smoking. Yet, divorce rates have more than doubled among the 27 EU countries in the last five decades. One reason why relationships are hard to maintain is because couples face difficulties navigating challenging interactions, such as when one partner sacrifices their preferences for the other. Sacrifice occurs regularly and can fuel resentment, thus putting relationships at risk. Yet, sacrifice also may convey that the sacrificer cares about the recipient, and thus has the potential to strengthen relationships. Given the profound impact of relationships on health and well-being, it is crucial to identify how couples can reduce the costs and reap the benefits of sacrifice to maintain satisfying relationships.
Existing research examining the impact of sacrifice has focused on individuals’ internal feelings and motivations. Prior work, however, overlooks how individuals express their feelings and thoughts about the sacrifice, and neglects the dyadic interaction between the sacrificer and recipient. SAYcrifice aims to address these critical gaps by examining (1) how both partners communicate about sacrifice and (2) how sacrifice communication styles shape personal and relationship outcomes. SAYcrifice will integrate across different fields (relationship science, communication, social cognition) and combine state-of-the-art methods (dyadic, observational, diary, and longitudinal methods; implicit and explicit measures) to provide the first comprehensive investigation of couples’ sacrifice communication in close relationships. The findings will reveal effective ways for couples to communicate about sacrifice, which can be used to develop interventions to promote satisfying relationships. Transforming sacrifice into a catalyst for building happier relationships will in turn improve societal health and well-being. |
