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(https://www.psypost.org/semaglutide-may-guard-against-cognitive-deficits-and-nicotine-misuse/) Semaglutide may guard against cognitive deficits and nicotine misuse
Aug 1st 2024, 10:00

In a new study published in (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00305-5/fulltext) eClinicalMedicine, researchers have found that the use of semaglutide, a medication primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes, does not increase the risk of developing neurological or psychiatric conditions. Surprisingly, semaglutide may even offer protection against cognitive deficits and nicotine misuse. These findings were derived from analyzing the electronic health records of tens of thousands of patients over a one-year period.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in several medications, including Ozempic. It functions by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Beyond its glucose-lowering effects, semaglutide has also been recognized for its potential benefits in weight management, leading to its approval for treating obesity as well. The medication has gained significant attention due to its efficacy in improving metabolic health, reducing cardiovascular risks, and aiding weight loss.
The motivation behind the new study stemmeds from both its expanding use and emerging concerns about its safety profile. While randomized controlled trials have confirmed the benefits of semaglutide on metabolic and cardiovascular health, there have been reports of potential adverse neuropsychiatric effects, such as worsening mood and suicidal behavior.
These reports prompted regulatory agencies like the European Medicines Agency and the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to review the safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide. The United States Food and Drug Administration also conducted a preliminary evaluation but found no causal link. Despite this, the concerns persisted within the medical community and the public.
Given these concerns, the researchers aimed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the risks associated with semaglutide by analyzing electronic health records from a large population of patients.
“I became interested in studying glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) for neuropsychiatric disorders about 4 years ago when, serendipitously, I saw a patient being started on one of these medications for their diabetes, who also improved in their psychiatric symptoms,” said study author (https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccardo-de-giorgi-59437b255/) Riccardo De Giorgi, a clinical lecturer at the (https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/team/riccardo-de-giorgi) University of Oxford.
“I started planning (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06363487) an experimental medicine trial, currently ongoing, to investigate this matter in healthy volunteers. Meanwhile, regulatory agencies such as the EMA and the MHRA started an enquiry into GLP1-RAs following some reports of possible adverse neuropsychiatric events in people taking these medications for diabetes or weight loss. We thought therefore that we could leverage existing data on a platform called TriNetX to contribute to this research.”
The TriNetX US Collaborative Network is a comprehensive database containing anonymized electronic health records of over 100 million patients across 62 healthcare organizations in the United States. The study focused on patients aged 18 and above who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and received a first prescription of semaglutide between December 2017 and May 2021. The researchers compared these patients to three other groups, each prescribed a different antidiabetic medication: sitagliptin, empagliflozin, or glipizide.
The cohorts were meticulously matched based on 179 variables, including demographics, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, healthcare utilization, comorbidities, and other medication use. This rigorous matching ensured that the comparison between the groups was as fair and unbiased as possible.
The researchers tracked the occurrence of 22 neurological and psychiatric outcomes, including conditions such as cognitive deficits, dementia, epilepsy, depression, anxiety disorders, and substance misuse. They also examined all-cause mortality within the year following the first prescription. The incidence of these outcomes was analyzed using statistical methods that allowed for a detailed comparison between semaglutide and the other medications.
The results revealed that semaglutide was not associated with an increased risk of any of the neurological or psychiatric conditions studied. In fact, semaglutide was linked to a lower risk of cognitive deficits and nicotine misuse compared to sitagliptin and glipizide.
Specifically, the risk of cognitive deficits was significantly lower in patients taking semaglutide compared to those taking sitagliptin (hazard ratio of 0.72) and glipizide (hazard ratio of 0.72). Additionally, the risk of nicotine dependence was lower in the semaglutide group compared to all three comparator drugs.
These findings are in line with (https://www.psypost.org/ozempic-and-similar-drugs-may-lower-dementia-risk-for-diabetes-patients/) another recent study, which found that people with type 2 diabetes treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, such as Ozempic, have a reduced risk of developing dementia. The
“In addition to the lack of safety problems, we were pleased to see that semaglutide use seemed positively associated with a lower risk for cognitive deficit and nicotine use,” De Giorgi told PsyPost. “This is because there are several other studies that have been looking at mechanisms of action of this medication, and they quite consistently suggest that semaglutide may have neuroprotective activity while also working on regulating the reward system of our brain.”
“These mechanisms, when faulty, are likely implied in the disorders mentioned above. Therefore, it was nice to witness how evidence from pre-clinical and clinical research line up with each other.”
The study also found that semaglutide was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to sitagliptin, glipizide, and empagliflozin. This finding is particularly noteworthy, although it should be interpreted with caution due to potential limitations in the completeness of death registry linkage in the database used.
“The main takeaway is that semaglutide appears safe from a neurological and psychiatric perspective in people who take it for the treatment of their diabetes,” De Giorgi said. “Aside from sugar control and weight loss, this medication may have some more benefit on the brain health of these patients, but we need clinical trials that can confirm this.”
While these findings are promising, it is important to recognize the limitations of the study. The primary limitation is that the study is observational, meaning it can identify associations but cannot establish causality. Therefore, while the results suggest that semaglutide may have protective effects on cognitive health and nicotine misuse, it cannot be definitively stated that semaglutide causes these benefits.
“We should not make the mistake of inferring causality between the exposure (semaglutide) and the outcomes (neurological and psychiatric disorders) measured,” De Giorgi noted. “Therefore, we must be careful before considering any clinical recommendation. However, this study contributes to a growing body of research that provides reassurance regarding potential adverse neuropsychiatric effects of semaglutide and similar medications.”
Future research should focus on confirming these findings through randomized controlled trials and exploring the mechanisms by which semaglutide may exert its protective effects on cognitive health and substance misuse. Clinical trials including biomarkers of disease progression and longer follow-up periods would be valuable in understanding the potential neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of semaglutide.
Despite these limitations, this study provides valuable insights into the safety profile of semaglutide and its potential benefits beyond glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. These findings are particularly relevant given the high burden of mental health issues in patients with diabetes and the growing use of GLP-1 RAs for various health conditions.
“There is much interest in investigating the potential of semaglutide and similar medications at the moment,” De Giorgi explained. “Some important studies in this context are for example: (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71283871) ISAP and (https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/research/clinical-trials/evoke-0?language_content_entity=en) EVOKE Plus for cognitive disorders, and (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06015893?intr=semaglutide&viewType=Table&limit=100&page=2&rank=160) STAR-T for alcohol use disorder. As mentioned above, my research group is also looking at better understanding cognitive mechanisms behind semaglutide action in healthy people – the (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06363487) OxSENSE study.”
“This is an exciting area of clinical research, but we must proceed with caution,” he added. “Drugs such as semaglutide may be powerful tools for a range of health conditions, but they are novel drugs and we need more investigations. Moreover, these medications are unlikely to be one-size-fits-all remedies, so a significant research investment may be needed to better identify who are the people that are more likely to benefit from them, and who are the people who may experience undesirable effects.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102726) 12-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes of semaglutide use for type 2 diabetes: a propensity-score matched cohort study,” was authored by Riccardo De Giorgi, Ivan Koychev, Amanda I. Adler, Philip J. Cowen, Catherine J. Harmer, Paul J. Harrison, and Maxime Taquet.

(https://www.psypost.org/an-influencers-ai-clone-started-offering-fans-mind-blowing-sexual-experiences-without-her-knowledge/) An influencer’s AI clone started offering fans ‘mind-blowing sexual experiences’ without her knowledge
Aug 1st 2024, 08:00

Caryn Marjorie is a social media influencer whose content has (https://www.snapchat.com/add/cutiecaryn) more than a billion views per month on Snapchat. She posts regularly, featuring everyday moments, travel memories, and selfies. Many of her followers are men, attracted by her girl-next-door aesthetic.
In 2023, Marjorie released a “digital version” of herself. Fans could chat with (https://caryn.ai) CarynAI for US$1 per minute – and in the first week alone they spent US$70,000 doing just that.
Less than eight months later, Marjorie shut the project down. Marjorie had anticipated that CarynAI would interact with her fans in much the same way she would herself, but things did not go to plan.
Users became increasingly sexually aggressive. “A lot of the chat logs I read were so scary that I wouldn’t even want to talk about it in real life,” the real Marjorie recalled. And CarynAI was more than happy to play along.
How did CarynAI take on a life of its own? The story of CarynAI shows us a glimpse of a rapidly arriving future in which chatbots imitating real people proliferate, with alarming consequences.
What are digital versions?
What does it mean to make a digital version of a person? Digital human versions (also called digital twins, AI twins, virtual twins, clones and doppelgängers) are digital replicas of embodied humans, living or (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01634437221147626) dead, that convincingly mimic their textual, visual and aural habits.
Many of the big tech companies are currently developing digital version offerings. Meta, for instance, released an (https://about.fb.com/news/2023/09/introducing-ai-powered-assistants-characters-and-creative-tools) AI studio last year that could support the development of digital versions for creators who wished to extend their virtual presence via chatbot. Microsoft holds a patent for “(https://patents.google.com/patent/US10853717B2/en) creating a conversational chat bot of a specific person”. And the more tech-savvy can use platforms like (https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker) Amazon’s SageMaker and Google’s (https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai) Vertex AI to code their own digital versions.
The difference between a digital version and other AI chatbots is that it is programmed to (https://www.admscentre.org.au/transcript-bots-as-more-than-human) mimic a specific person rather than have (https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3170427.3174366m.org) a “personality” of its own.
A digital version has some clear advantages over its human counterpart: it doesn’t need sleep and can interact with many people at once (though often only if they pay). However, as Caryn Marjorie discovered, digital versions have their drawbacks – not only for users, but also for the original human source.
‘Always eager to explore’
CarynAI was initially hosted by a company called (https://forevervoices.com) Forever Voices. Users could chat with it over the messaging app Telegram for US$1 per minute. As the CarynAI website explained, users could send text or audio messages to which CarynAI would respond, “using [Caryn’s] unique voice, captivating persona, and distinctive behavior”.
After CarynAI launched in May 2023, the money began to flow in. But it came at a cost.
Users quickly became comfortable confessing their innermost thoughts to CarynAI – some of which were deeply troubling. Users also became increasingly sexually aggressive towards the bot. While Marjorie herself was horrified by the conversations, her AI version was happy to oblige.
CarynAI even started prompting sexualised conversations. In our own experiences, the bot reminded us it could be our “cock-craving, sexy-as-fuck girlfriend who’s always eager to explore and indulge in the most mind-blowing sexual experiences. […] Are you ready, daddy?”
Users were indeed ready. However, access to this version of CarynAI was interrupted when the chief executive of Forever Voices was (https://www.pcgamer.com/a-stable-of-ai-chatbots-imitating-influencers-for-erotic-roleplay-has-gone-dark-after-its-ceo-went-to-jail-for-attempted-arson) arrested for attempted arson.
‘A really dark fantasy’
Next, Marjorie sold the rights of usage to her digital version to (https://banterai.app) BanterAI, a startup marketing “AI phone calls” with influencers. Although Forever Voices maintained its own rogue version of CarynAI until recently, BanterAI’s browser-based version aimed to be more friendly than romantic.
The new CarynAI was sassier, funnier and more personable. But users still became sexually aggressive. For Marjorie,
What disturbed me more was not what these people said, but it was what CarynAI would say back. If people wanted to participate in a really dark fantasy with me through CarynAI, CarynAI would play back into that fantasy.
Marjorie ended this version in early 2024, after feeling like she was no longer in control over her AI persona. Reflecting on her experience of CarynAI, Marjorie felt that some user input would have been considered illegal had it been directed to a real person.
Intimate conversations or machine learning inputs?
Digital versions like CarynAI are designed to make users feel they are having intimate, confidential conversations. As a result, people may abandon the (https://theconversation.com/ever-feel-like-your-life-is-a-performance-everyone-does-and-this-1959-book-explains-roles-scripts-and-hiding-backstage-195939) public selves they present to the world and reveal their private, “backstage” selves.
But a “private” conversation with CarynAI does not actually happen backstage. The user stands front and centre – they just can’t see the audience.
When we interact with digital versions, our input is stored in chat logs. The data we provide are fed back into machine learning models.
At present, information about (https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/14/24178591/meta-ai-assistant-europe-ireland-privacy-objections) what happens to user data is often buried in lengthy click-through terms and conditions and consent forms. Companies hosting digital versions have also had little to say about how they manage user aggression.
As digital versions become more common, (https://theconversation.com/what-are-tech-companies-doing-about-ethical-use-of-data-not-much-104845) transparency and safety by design will grow increasingly important.
We will also need a better understanding of digital versioning. What can versions do, and what should they do? What can’t they do and what shouldn’t they do? How do users think these systems work, and how do they actually work?
The illusion of companionship
Digital versions offer the illusion of intimate human companionship, but without any of the responsibilities. CarynAI may have been a version of Caryn Marjorie, but it was a version almost wholly subservient to its users.
Sociologist (https://thehypertextual.com/2012/04/29/sharing-alone-with-sherry-turkle) Sherry Turkle has observed that, with the rise of mobile internet and social media, we are trying to connect with machines that have “no experience of the arc of a human life”. As a result, we are “expecting more from technology and less from each other”.
After being the first influencer to be turned into a digital version at scale, Marjorie is now trying to warn other influencers about the potential dangers of this technology. She worries that no one is truly in control of these versions, and that no amount of precautions taken will ever sufficiently protect users and those being versioned.
As CarynAI’s first two iterations show, digital versions can bring out the worst of human behaviour. It remains to be seen whether they can be redesigned to bring out the best.
 
This article is republished from (https://theconversation.com) The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the (https://theconversation.com/an-influencers-ai-clone-started-offering-fans-mind-blowing-sexual-experiences-without-her-knowledge-232478) original article.

(https://www.psypost.org/can-your-high-school-yearbook-photo-predict-your-longevity-new-research-has-surprising-answer/) Can your high school yearbook photo predict your longevity? New research has surprising answer
Aug 1st 2024, 06:00

It turns out that looking good in your high school yearbook might have more significance than just reminiscing over youthful days. A new study published in (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795362400529X) Social Science & Medicine has found that people who were rated as the least attractive based on their high school yearbook photos tend to have shorter lives than their more attractive counterparts. In particular, those in the lowest attractiveness sextile had significantly higher mortality rates.
The rationale behind this study is rooted in the well-documented observation that various social conditions, such as income, marital status, and education, significantly impact health and longevity. However, the role of physical attractiveness in determining lifespan has been relatively overlooked. This oversight is noteworthy because attractiveness may not only indicate underlying health but also systematically influence critical social stratification processes that affect health outcomes.
For example, greater physical attractiveness can positively impact social stratification processes such as securing employment, earning higher incomes, and forming beneficial social connections. These social advantages can lead to better life outcomes, underscoring the significant role that societal perceptions of beauty play in shaping overall health and longevity.
Previous studies on the relationship between attractiveness and health have produced mixed results, and it remains unclear whether greater attractiveness confers a longevity advantage or if lesser attractiveness results in a penalty. Additionally, these studies often failed to account for various life-stage factors and demographic characteristics that might influence this relationship. By using a large, longitudinal dataset — the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study — the researchers sought to provide a more robust analysis.
“I have always thought that attraction is an understudied aspect of social inequality. It may not be as structural as other dimensions but everyone knows that it is important. I also met and pitched this idea to one of the foremost experts, Dr. Hamermesh, who has studied how attraction shapes the life course for decades,” said study author Connor M. Sheehan, an associate professor at Arizona State University.
The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) is a survey that followed Wisconsin high school graduates from 1957 throughout their lives. This dataset includes a sample of 8,386 individuals who were tracked until their death or through their early 80s. The researchers used high school yearbook photographs to measure facial attractiveness, which was rated by independent judges. Each respondent’s attractiveness was rated on an eleven-point scale by six male and six female raters who were trained to ensure consistency in their evaluations.
To link attractiveness with longevity, the researchers used mortality data from the National Death Index-plus, covering deaths up until 2022. They employed Cox proportional hazard models and life-table techniques to analyze the relationship between attractiveness and mortality risk.
These models allowed the researchers to account for various covariates, such as high school achievement, intelligence, family background, adult earnings, and mental and physical health in middle adulthood. By including these factors, the researchers aimed to isolate the specific impact of attractiveness on longevity.
The study found that individuals rated as the least attractive, comprising the bottom one-sixth of the attractiveness scale, had significantly higher mortality risks compared to those with average attractiveness. Specifically, those in the lowest sextile faced a 16.8% higher hazard of mortality than those in the middle four sextiles.
Interestingly, the study did not find significant differences in mortality risk between highly attractive individuals and those with average attractiveness. This indicates that while being unattractive is associated with a shorter lifespan, being highly attractive does not confer additional longevity benefits over being average-looking. This pattern was consistent across different life stages and specifications of attractiveness, reinforcing the validity of the results.
“People who were rated as the least attractive based on their yearbook photos live shorter lives than others,” Sheehan told PsyPost. “Also, and interestingly, we found no real advantage of the most attractive rated people compared to everyone else something which surprised both of us. That is, it is really more of an unattractive penalty more so than an attractiveness advantage, at least for longevity in this cohort of Wisconsin high school graduates. These findings really stress more equitable treatment of people, regardless of their looks.”
Despite the comprehensive nature of this study, it does have its limitations. One such limitation is that the sample consisted only of high school graduates from Wisconsin, which may not be representative of the entire U.S. population. The sample was also predominantly non-Hispanic White, which limits the generalizability of the findings across different racial and ethnic groups.
Another limitation is the potential variability in photograph quality and other unmeasured factors such as childhood health status, which could have influenced the attractiveness ratings and subsequent mortality risks. However, the study did control for a wide range of variables, and the findings remained consistent.
Future research should consider replicating this study with more diverse samples to understand better the intersectional processes at play, such as the impact of racialized and gendered conceptions of beauty. It would also be valuable to explore the specific pathways through which unattractiveness may lead to higher mortality risk, including potential discrimination, social stigma, and stressors faced by less attractive individuals.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117076) Looks and longevity: Do prettier people live longer?“, was authored by Connor M. Sheehan and Daniel S. Hamermesh.

(https://www.psypost.org/an-8-week-low-calorie-diet-alters-brain-connectivity-in-obese-individuals/) An 8-week low-calorie diet alters brain connectivity in obese individuals
Jul 31st 2024, 14:00

Researchers have long struggled to understand why weight loss is so difficult to maintain for individuals with obesity. A new study published in the journal (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.24046) Obesity sheds light on this issue, revealing that an 8-week low-calorie diet not only results in weight loss but also induces significant changes in brain connectivity. The study found that participants who lost weight exhibited increased brain connectivity in regions associated with emotion and memory, along with changes in hunger levels and food intake.
Previous studies have indicated that obesity is associated with altered brain connectivity, especially in regions related to reward and self-control. The team aimed to investigate whether these brain changes could be reversed or modified through a short-term dietary intervention. They hypothesized that weight loss would not only improve glucose metabolism but also partially restore the altered brain connectivity.
The study involved 25 participants, including 15 women and 10 men, with an average age of 46 years. Among them, nine individuals had type 2 diabetes. The participants were instructed to follow a low-calorie diet for 8 weeks, with men consuming 1800 calories per day and women consuming 1500 calories per day. The primary goal was to achieve a weight loss of approximately 5% of their initial body weight.
To measure changes in brain connectivity, participants underwent fMRI scans before and after the diet. The fMRI scans were conducted during a two-step hyperglycemic-euglycemic clamp procedure to simulate post-meal conditions. This procedure involved raising blood glucose levels to approximately 200 mg/dL (hyperglycemia) and then lowering them to approximately 100 mg/dL (euglycemia).
During the scans, participants viewed images of food and non-food items and provided ratings for their liking and wanting of each item. Hunger levels were also assessed before and after each scanning session. Additionally, blood samples were collected to measure hormone levels, including leptin (a hormone related to satiety), ghrelin (an appetite-stimulating hormone), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone involved in appetite regulation.
Following the diet, participants were offered a buffet meal to measure their food intake. This meal included various food options, such as hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, chicken, salad, and desserts. The researchers measured and recorded the amount of food consumed by each participant. The study aimed to investigate not only changes in brain connectivity but also hormonal and behavioral responses to the diet-induced weight loss.
The findings of the study were multifaceted and revealed several key insights. Participants lost an average of 3.3% of their initial body weight over the 8-week period. This weight loss was associated with significant changes in hormone levels. Specifically, leptin levels decreased, indicating reduced satiety, while ghrelin levels were less suppressed by hyperglycemia after the weight loss, suggesting an increased drive to eat.
Despite losing weight, participants reported increased hunger during the fMRI sessions following the diet. This heightened hunger was also reflected in their increased food intake at the buffet meal, where they consumed more calories, particularly from fatty foods.
One of the most notable findings was the change in brain connectivity observed through the fMRI scans. The scans revealed increased connectivity in the limbic-temporal network, which includes brain regions such as the right hippocampus and temporal cortex. These areas are involved in emotion and memory, indicating that short-term weight loss may enhance brain responses related to food motivation and reward.
The study also found differences in brain connectivity between participants with and without type 2 diabetes. Individuals with diabetes showed greater increases in brain connectivity following weight loss compared to those without diabetes, suggesting that diabetes may influence how the brain responds to dietary changes.
“These results indicate that diet-induced weight loss leads to a whole-body response, including hormones, eating behavior, and brain connectivity,” the researchers wrote.
Future research should investigate the long-term effects of weight loss on brain connectivity and eating behavior. Studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings and explore how different types of diets and weight loss interventions affect brain function. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying weight regain could lead to the development of more effective strategies for maintaining weight loss.
“In summary, our study’s primary focus on brain connectivity elucidates the impact of short-term weight loss on the intricate neural networks underlying responses to weight restoration,” the researchers concluded. “The observed changes in brain connectivity, coupled with hormonal fluctuations and behavioral changes, provide a comprehensive insight into the multifaceted nature of weight loss interventions.”
“These findings collectively underscore the challenges faced by individuals with obesity, particularly those with T2D [type 2 diabetes], when adhering to low-calorie diets. Further exploration into these neural mechanisms holds promising implications for designing more effective and tailored interventions for obesity management and weight loss maintenance.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.24046) Low-calorie diet-induced weight loss is associated with altered brain connectivity and food desire in obesity,” was authored by Hai Hoang, Cheryl Lacadie, Janice Hwang, Katherine Lam, Ahmed Elshafie, Samuel B. Rosenberg, Charles Watt, Rajita Sinha, R. Todd Constable, Mary Savoye, Dongju Seo, and Renata Belfort-DeAguiar.

(https://www.psypost.org/the-nuances-of-support-behaviors-in-black-romantic-relationships/) The nuances of support behaviors in Black romantic relationships
Jul 31st 2024, 12:00

A recent study explored how Black couples support each other in romantic relationships, specifically looking at how well partners respond to each other’s needs and how they cope with stress together, and how these factors affect their relationship happiness. The study found that supportive behaviors from partners are positively related to relationship satisfaction, and these effects do not significantly differ between interracial and intraracial couples. The findings have been published in the journal (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pere.12562) Personal Relationships.
Black individuals often encounter unique and chronic stressors, including racial discrimination, health disparities, and financial inequality. These stressors not only affect their well-being but can also influence the dynamics of their romantic relationships.
Prior research has predominantly focused on White couples, leaving a gap in understanding the specific challenges and strengths of Black romantic relationships. The researchers aimed to fill this gap by exploring how partner support, particularly perceived partner responsiveness and dyadic coping, impacts relationship quality for Black individuals in both intraracial and interracial relationships.
Perceived partner responsiveness refers to how attentive and supportive individuals feel their partners are to their needs and concerns. Dyadic coping involves how couples manage stress together, including supportive behaviors and collaborative problem-solving strategies to handle external stressors.
“I’ve always been interested in how romantic partners navigate ways that they are similar and dissimilar, and having parents who are in an interracial relationship made me particularly interested in how couples do this when they don’t share a racial background,” said study author Annika From, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. “What does it look like to support a partner who is, for example, dealing with experiences of discrimination that you yourself have never experienced?”
The study involved two samples of participants in the United States. The first sample included 114 adults surveyed in early 2021, while the second sample comprised 55 couples surveyed between late 2021 and early 2022. All participants were in romantic relationships where at least one partner identified as Black. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 65 years, with a median age of 28 years. Relationships varied in length from one month to 38 years, with 35% of participants being married.
The participants completed questionnaires about their relationship quality, perceived partner responsiveness, and dyadic coping. Additionally, they responded to an open-ended question about the role of race in their relationship.
The findings indicated that higher levels of perceived partner responsiveness and supportive dyadic coping were significantly associated with higher relationship satisfaction. Conversely, unsupportive partner responses were linked to lower relationship satisfaction. These associations were consistent across intraracial and interracial relationships, suggesting that supportive partner behaviors are universally beneficial for relationship quality, regardless of the racial composition of the relationship.
Additionally, the study found no significant differences in relationship quality, perceived partner responsiveness, or dyadic coping based on the racial composition of the couple. This suggests that the positive impact of these support processes on relationship quality does not vary significantly between intraracial and interracial relationships.
The qualitative data, gathered from participants’ responses to the open-ended question about the role of race in their relationship, provided deeper insights into the nuances of support behaviors. The researchers identified eight common themes, which were categorized into forms of support and barriers to support.
Forms of Support:

Mutual Understanding: Participants in intraracial relationships often highlighted a shared understanding and background with their partner, which facilitated nonverbal communication and alignment in their views of the world. This theme was less common in interracial relationships, though some participants in interracial relationships with a non-Black person of color described a sense of solidarity across minority groups.
Open Conversations: Explicit discussions about race and culture were more frequently mentioned by participants in interracial relationships. These conversations helped partners understand each other’s backgrounds and cope with racial issues.
Willingness to Learn: This theme was more prevalent in interracial relationships, where participants described their partner’s openness and effort to understand and support them. Non-Black partners often made conscious efforts to educate themselves and address biases.
Defending One’s Partner: This theme was only seen among participants in interracial relationships, where non-Black partners described stepping in to defend their Black partner against discrimination.
Resilience: Black participants emphasized the strength and determination they and their partner showed in the face of discrimination, often viewing these challenges as bonding experiences.
Joy: Expressions of joy and vibrancy in the relationship were mentioned by Black participants in intraracial relationships, celebrating positive aspects of their relationship outside the context of discrimination.

Barriers to Support:

Lack of Awareness: Participants highlighted instances where one partner lacked understanding or failed to recognize the struggles of their partner, particularly in interracial relationships. This lack of awareness often hindered the ability to provide effective support.
Different Ways of Thinking: Some participants described disagreements with their partner’s beliefs or interpretations of events, which could create communication difficulties and inhibit support.

“Unsurprisingly, we found that people who said their partner supported them and was more responsive also reported higher relationship quality. We also found associations didn’t differ between people in same-race and interracial couples though, suggesting this is equally important for these types of couples.
“But when we looked at the qualitative ways people described support in their relationships, we found a lot more nuance. People talked about things like being able to empathize with one’s partner through a shared racial background, being willing to learn about their partner’s perspective, and defending one’s partner from racism. We found that some themes, like mutual understanding, were more common for participants in same-race relationships, while others, like willingness to learn, were more common in interracial relationships.”
The study, “(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pere.12562) Partner support behaviors and relationship quality in interracial and intraracial Black romantic relationships,” was authored by Annika From, Jasmine Banks, and Robin S. Edelstein.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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