Human Bonding Final

Interpersonal attraction

Anything that draws people toward or away from each other (includes personality, familiarity, status, context, not just looks)

Physical attractiveness vs attraction

Physical attractiveness does not equal attraction to a specific person

Romantic infatuation

Intense early-stage attraction involving obsession, emotional highs/lows, and constant thoughts about a partner

Is infatuation normal

Yes, it is a normal early stage of pair bonding

Infatuation duration

Peaks early and declines over time (months to about 1-2 years)

Is infatuation just lust

No, lust is sexual desire while infatuation includes emotional obsession and bonding processes

Function of infatuation

Focuses attention on one partner and helps form a pair bond

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and craving in romantic attraction

Oxytocin

Hormone involved in bonding, trust, attachment, and closeness

Opiates

Neurochemicals that create feelings of comfort, calm, and security in relationships

Norepinephrine

Neurotransmitter responsible for arousal, energy, and excitement in early attraction

Pair bonding advantage

Increases offspring survival through greater care, protection, and resources

Human mating system

Humans are socially pair-bonding but not strictly sexually monogamous

Intimacy

The process of making one's innermost self known to another

Self-disclosure

Sharing personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences to build intimacy

Kinesics

Body language and nonverbal communication (facial expressions, gestures)

Proxemics

Use of physical space and distance in interactions

Paralinguistics

Tone, pitch, and manner of speaking

Importance of intimacy

Increases relationship satisfaction and strengthens pair bonds

Commitment

Intention to maintain a relationship over time

Personal commitment

Staying in a relationship because you want to

Moral commitment

Staying because you feel obligated or believe you should

Structural commitment

Staying because leaving would be difficult due to constraints

Social exchange theory

Relationships are evaluated based on rewards, costs, and alternatives

Rewards

Positive aspects of a relationship (love, support, companionship)

Costs

Negative aspects of a relationship (conflict, stress, time)

Comparison level

What a person believes they deserve in a relationship

Comparison level for alternatives

Perceived quality of alternative partners

Sociosexual orientation

Degree to which a person associates sex with love

Restricted sociosexuality

Preference for sex only within committed relationships

Unrestricted sociosexuality

Comfort with casual sex without emotional attachment

Prairie voles

Monogamous animals used to study biological mechanisms of pair bonding

Partner preference test

Experiment where an animal chooses between a partner and a stranger to measure bonding

Adult attachment

Patterns of emotional bonding in adult relationships

Attachment ABCs

Affect (feelings), Behavior (actions), Cognition (thoughts)

Attachment anxiety

Fear of rejection or abandonment

Attachment avoidance

Discomfort with closeness and dependence

Secure attachment

Low anxiety and low avoidance, comfortable with intimacy

Anxious attachment

High anxiety, low avoidance, seeks closeness but fears rejection

Avoidant attachment

Low anxiety, high avoidance, avoids closeness

Fearful attachment

High anxiety and avoidance, wants closeness but fears it

HPA axis

Biological stress response system involving cortisol

Autonomic nervous system

Controls automatic bodily functions (sympathetic and parasympathetic systems)

Sympathetic nervous system

Activates fight-or-flight response

Parasympathetic nervous system

Promotes relaxation and recovery

Sexual strategies theory

Evolutionary theory predicting different mating preferences for men and women

Likes-attract hypothesis

People prefer partners who are similar to themselves

Adventitious model

Mate selection is influenced by chance and environmental factors

Breakups

The end of a romantic relationship, typically occurring as a process

Breakup characteristics

Usually one-sided, staged, and involve emotional distress

Breakup stages

Begin with private dissatisfaction and progress to separation and recovery

Gottman's four horsemen

Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling

Criticism

Attacking a partner's character

Contempt

Disrespect, mocking, or hostility toward a partner

Defensiveness

Refusing responsibility and blaming others

Stonewalling

Withdrawing or shutting down during conflict

Magic ratio

Healthy relationships have about 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative

Infidelity

Secret romantic or sexual behavior that violates relationship rules

Causes of infidelity

Opportunity, dissatisfaction, low commitment, desire for novelty

Sexual strategies prediction

Men more distressed by sexual infidelity, women by emotional infidelity

Jealousy

Emotional response to a perceived threat to a valued relationship

Jealousy triggers

Infidelity, attention to others, perceived rivals

Loneliness

Perceived gap between desired and actual social connection

Loneliness vs being alone

Loneliness is subjective, being alone is objective

Loneliness effects

Increased stress, depression, and risk of mortality

Social support

Emotional and physical support from others that improves health

Effects of social connection

Reduces stress, improves immune function, increases lifespan

Fletcher reading

No single theory explains romantic love; it involves biology, psychology, and environment

Diamond reading

Romantic love and sexual desire are separate systems

Selcuk reading

Perceived partner responsiveness lowers anxiety and improves sleep

Feeney & Collins reading

Relationships provide safe haven (support) and secure base (growth)

Holt-Lunstad reading

Loneliness is a major public health issue that increases mortality risk

Sbarra & Borelli reading

Breakups require attachment reorganization and identity rebuilding

Gottman's four horsemen

Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling

sneaky

...

biggest mogger

up for debate

who loves grilled cheeses

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