Abstract

Research demonstrates that physiological activity in romantic partners is interdependent, fluctuates with emotional states, and is closely tied to relationship functioning. This coordination, known as physiological linkage, can manifest as in-phase (partners’ responses rise and fall together) or anti-phase (one rises as the other falls). Although previous research has linked physiological linkage to relationship functioning, less is known about how proximal emotional states and distal developmental stressors shape these patterns in everyday life. This study examined how stress and anger experienced in the hour preceding conflict, as well as childhood exposure to psychological interparental aggression (PIA), shape real-time electrodermal activity linkage during naturally occurring couple conflicts. Romantic couples (N = 73) participated in an at-home study involving continuous physiological monitoring, audio-recorded …

Date

January 8, 2026

Authors

KE Carta, GA Jumonville, JB Duong, SN Walters, AS Carrasco, DN Romero, IP Khurd, T Chaspari, SC Han, Y Kim, S Narayanan, G Margolin, AC Timmons

Journal

Biological Psychology

Pages

109191

Publisher

Elsevier