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(https://www.psypost.org/new-study-identifies-six-tactics-people-use-to-invest-in-romantic-relationships/) New study identifies six tactics people use to invest in romantic relationships
Dec 11th 2024, 08:00

A new study has identified six groups of tactics that individuals use to invest in their romantic relationships. Those who employed tactics categorized as emotional and material gestures reported higher marital satisfaction. These individuals also tended to engage more in shared activities with their partner and their partner’s family and friends. The research was published in (https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12575) Personal Relationship.
Marital and romantic relationships are among the most important interpersonal connections for human well-being. The quality of a romantic relationship can significantly impact a person’s mental health. A poor romantic relationship can serve as a major stressor, even increasing susceptibility to various mental health disorders.
Conversely, a healthy relationship offers protection against the negative consequences of stress. Studies have shown that individuals who are satisfied with their romantic relationships tend to experience better physical health, greater personal well-being, and overall happiness. Those in fulfilling marital relationships are also better equipped to cope with adverse life events and receive more social support compared to unattached individuals.
Study authors Ya’arit Bokek-Cohen and Riki Halamish-Leshem emphasized that romantic relationships require ongoing maintenance. To sustain and enhance a relationship’s quality, partners must invest in it. This involves engaging in various activities and thought processes aimed at nurturing and strengthening the relationship. Research has shown that couples who feel more committed to one another are more likely to invest in their relationships and derive greater satisfaction from them.
However, people differ in how they invest in their romantic relationships. Bokek-Cohen and Halamish-Leshem sought to map the tactics individuals use to maintain their relationships. Specifically, they aimed to identify the techniques, behaviors, and practices people employ to improve their romantic relationships.
The study included 204 participants aged 19 to 77, 80% of whom were women. The average age of participants was 39. Among them, 41% were in non-marital romantic relationships, while 59% were married. Additionally, 5% of participants were in same-sex relationships. The duration of participants’ relationships ranged from 1 to 54 years.
To map these relationship investment tactics, the authors developed a dedicated assessment tool called the Relationship Investment Tactics Scale. To create this tool, they first asked 110 individuals, recruited from their colleagues, friends, and relatives, to list ways in which people can enhance their romantic relationships. The researchers then used these responses to construct the initial version of the scale, which they administered to study participants. Participants also completed the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale to report their relationship satisfaction.
In developing the scale, the researchers identified 46 distinct ways individuals invest in their romantic relationships. These were grouped into six categories, referred to as relationship investment tactics:

Emotional care and gestures (e.g., “I usually use affectionate nicknames for my partner”).
Material gestures and pampering (e.g., “I usually buy gifts for my partner”).
Giving one another space (e.g., “I usually allow my partner to go out with friends without me joining”).
Investing in physical appearance and sex (e.g., “I tend to diversify my sexual activity with my partner”).
Shared activities (e.g., “As a couple, we usually go on trips and vacations together”).
Third-party care and support (e.g., “I usually help my partner’s family and friends”).

The analysis revealed that men employed material gestures more frequently than women. However, there were no gender differences in the use of the other five tactics. Stronger application of each of these tactics was associated with higher relationship satisfaction. This suggests that individuals who actively invest in their relationships tend to experience greater satisfaction compared to those who invest less.
Emotional gestures, shared activities, and third-party tactics were most strongly associated with relationship satisfaction. Additional statistical analyses revealed that emotional gestures had the strongest link to satisfaction. However, shared activities, third-party care, and material gestures also made independent contributions to relationship satisfaction. For instance, individuals who purchased gifts or provided material support, engaged in shared activities, or supported their partner’s family and friends reported greater satisfaction beyond what could be explained by emotional gestures alone.
“It is the hope of the authors that the findings of this pioneering study will pave the way for educators and couple therapists to teach people how to improve their well-being by nurturing their couple relationship. Most relationship investment tactics are low cost or free, as well as quick, easy, and simple to employ, so why not employ them?” the study authors concluded.
The study provides a valuable contribution to the systematization of scientific knowledge on relationship investment. However, it is important to note that the sample consisted predominantly of women, individuals of higher socioeconomic status, and Jewish participants (the study was conducted in Israel). The findings may not generalize to other demographic or cultural groups.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12575) Tactics of investment in couple relationship and their impact on relationship satisfaction,” was authored by Ya’arit Bokek-Cohen and Riki Halamish-Leshem.

(https://www.psypost.org/new-neuroscience-research-upends-traditional-cognitive-models-of-reading/) New neuroscience research upends traditional cognitive models of reading
Dec 11th 2024, 06:00

How does your brain transform written words into spoken ones in mere milliseconds? A new study published in (https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2024/11/12/JNEUROSCI.0194-24.2024) The Journal of Neuroscience has found that a key brain region traditionally associated with speech production is engaged in reading far earlier than expected. Using targeted brain stimulation, researchers demonstrated that the left posterior inferior frontal cortex (pIFC) is essential for translating written words into spoken language within just 100 milliseconds after seeing a word—well before traditional models suggest.
For decades, scientists have sought to understand how the brain reads, particularly the sequence of events that turn written text into spoken words. Traditional models propose a “serial cascade,” where written words are processed in stages: visual recognition in the fusiform gyrus, phonological conversion in the supramarginal gyrus, and speech production in the pIFC. This sequence implies that each stage waits for input from the previous one.
However, recent neuroimaging studies show simultaneous activation of these regions during reading, raising questions about whether they operate independently or interact directly. The researchers aimed to clarify the role of the pIFC in reading by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive technique that temporarily disrupts brain activity.
“Traditional cognitive models of reading assume that speech production occurs after initial visual and phonological processing of written words,” explained study author Kimihiro Nakamura, the principal investigator at the (https://www.rehab.go.jp/ri/english/department/brainfunc/neuro/) Systems Neuroscience Section at the National Rehabilitation Center Research Institute.
“This seems a plausible and reasonable a priori assumption, but a series of more recent magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies show that the pIFC, classically associated with spoken production, responds to print at 100-150 ms after word-onset, almost simultaneously with posterior brain regions for visual and phonological processing. Moreover, the functional significance of this fast neural response is also unclear, because the left pIFC is now known to mediate different aspects of linguistic/non-linguistic processing. We therefore wanted to fill this gap between cognitive models and empirical data from functional brain imaging.”
In the study, 50 adults participated in two experiments. In the first experiment, participants performed three tasks: reading words aloud, making semantic judgments (deciding if a word referred to an animal or plant), and distinguishing the text’s color (a perceptual control task). The second experiment introduced an object-naming task to compare processes involved in reading to those used for general spoken language production.
During these tasks, TMS pulses were applied to each of the three brain regions at various time intervals: 50, 100, 150, and 200 milliseconds after participants were shown a written word. This precise timing allowed researchers to investigate when each brain region became active and whether disrupting its function affected task performance. Participants’ reaction times and accuracy were measured to determine the impact of TMS on their ability to perform each task.
The stimuli for the reading tasks consisted of words written in a phonologically regular script, meaning each character corresponded consistently to a sound. This choice minimized variability in how participants converted text into speech sounds, enabling researchers to isolate the specific contributions of each brain region.
The researchers found that the pIFC, long thought to act later in the reading process, played an early and critical role. When TMS was applied to the pIFC at 100 milliseconds after participants saw a written word, their ability to read aloud was impaired. This disruption was specific to reading and did not affect participants’ performance on the semantic or color-judgment tasks. These results suggest that the pIFC is directly involved in the rapid transformation of written words into speech sounds.
The fusiform gyrus also showed early involvement. Disrupting its function at 100 milliseconds impaired both reading and semantic tasks, highlighting its role in visual word recognition. Unlike the pIFC, however, the fusiform gyrus did not show a task-specific effect; its disruption affected tasks requiring both phonological and semantic processing.
“Most of the current knowledge of spatiotemporal dynamics in reading is derived from functional neuroimaging data with high-temporal resolution, such as ERP and MEG, according to which posterior brain systems responsible for visual and phonological processing respond to print at 250-500 ms after stimulus-onset,” Nakamura told PsyPost. “While the main goal of the study was to dissect the causal role of early pIFC activation in reading, our TMS results revealed that those other systems for reading also act much faster than assumed by most neurocognitive models of reading derived from ERP/MEG data. Because TMS is a brain stimulation method for transiently disrupting local neural activity, we argue that the observed gap could be attributed to possibles difference in timing between actual neuronal firing and peak response latencies estimated from ERP/MEG waveforms.”
The supramarginal gyrus displayed delayed activation, with TMS disrupting performance only at 150 milliseconds or later. This finding aligns with its established role in phonological processing, which occurs after initial visual recognition of words.
Experiment 2 further clarified the specificity of the pIFC’s role in reading. Participants performed both oral reading and object-naming tasks, with TMS applied at the same time intervals. Disrupting the pIFC impaired reading but had no effect on naming objects, even though both tasks required spoken responses. This suggests that the pIFC’s early activation during reading is tied to its role in converting text into speech sounds, rather than general speech production.
These findings challenge the long-held “serial cascade” model of reading, which posits that visual and phonological processing must be completed before speech production begins. Instead, the results suggest that the pIFC and fusiform gyrus process information in parallel, with the pIFC playing a key role in a “sublexical” pathway that rapidly connects visual and speech motor systems.
“Our TMS data provide the first causal evidence showing that the early activation of the left pIFC specifically mediates rapid generation of speech motor codes during reading, which probably relies on the enhanced long-distance connectivity between occipitotemporal and frontal cortices that developed with the extensive experience in reading,” Nakamura explained. “Our results also show that this region starts to respond to print approximately 30 ms faster than thought previously, but not necessarily in an ordered cascade as assumed by cognitive models of visual word processing.”
“While such direct and rudimentary neurocognitive pathway for print-to-sound conversion is known to help decipher text in children and people with brain damage, little is known about its role and status in proficient adult readers, who primarily rely on more effective whole-word recognition systems. In sum, we therefore suggest that the brain may have more resources than cognitive models believe – the seemingly dormant, fast sublexical pathway for pronunciation is fully functioning in literate adults.”
These findings not only deepen our understanding of how the brain handles reading but also have potential applications in addressing reading-related challenges, such as dyslexia. By identifying the early and critical role of the pIFC, researchers have opened new avenues for exploring how these pathways develop in literacy and how they might be enhanced through targeted interventions.
“We believe that the precise temporal dynamics during reading is of critical importance for understanding the neurophysiology of dyslexia and related disorders,” Nakamura said. “In this context, by combining such temporal dynamics information and high temporal resolution methods (e.g., EEG and electrical cortical stimulation), we are particularly interested in developing novel neuromodulation methodology for effective remediation and training dedicated to these disorders.”
“While early pIFC activation in reading was first documented in 2004 and reported by several subsequent MEG studies, its theoretical significance has still remained elusive, particularly because MEG allows only correlational inferences about structures and functions in the brain,” Nakamura added. “To address the issue, it is essential to identify behavioral effects arising when this particular activity is suppressed during reading. Because TMS can transiently disrupt the function of a given cortical structure in normal humans, our results resolved this remaining question and provide more compelling evidence by showing the causal link between early pIFC activation and behavior.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0194-24.2024) Dissecting the causal role of early inferior frontal activation in reading,” was authored by Tomoki Uno, Kouji Takano, and Kimihiro Nakamura.

(https://www.psypost.org/new-research-suggests-highlighting-shared-values-can-bridge-americas-political-divide/) New research suggests highlighting shared values can bridge America’s political divide
Dec 10th 2024, 12:00

A new study published in (https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506241263887) Social Psychological & Personality Science reveals that highlighting shared values between U.S. Republicans and Democrats can reduce perceived polarization and foster hope.
Political polarization in the United States is often seen as deep and intractable. Surveys show that over 80% of Americans are worried about this divide. However, prior research suggests the extent of this polarization may be exaggerated, with Republicans and Democrats overestimating their differences on policies, engagement, and even support for violence.
Lukas J. Wolf and Paul H. P. Hanel conducted this study to explore whether presenting overlapping distributions of shared values could counteract these misperceptions and increase hope about the country’s future.
This research builds on evidence that values—central guiding principles in life—are often more similar across groups than typically assumed. Classic prejudice theories argue that perceived differences in values drive animosity. Recognizing shared values, the authors argue, could reduce partisan hostility and inspire optimism for societal progress.
The research spanned three experiments with a cumulative sample of 2,529 U.S. participants, recruited via Prolific. Participants were required to be U.S. citizens aged 18 or older, fluent in English, and self-identified as either Republican or Democrat. Across all studies, participants began by completing Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire, a widely used 21-item measure of human values, to introduce them to the concept of shared values.
Study 1 involved 409 participants (200 Republicans, 209 Democrats) who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: overlapping distributions (depicting shared values between the groups), truncated barplots (emphasizing differences), or a baseline (no visualization). Each condition utilized real data from Ponizovskiy ((https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12516) 2022), with the experimental groups shown graphical depictions of values for approximately three minutes. Participants then completed a series of surveys to assess perceived value similarity, potential for compromise, and qualitative hope, alongside other intergroup attitudes.
Study 2 replicated and extended Study 1 with a larger sample of 973 participants (480 Republicans, 493 Democrats). In this iteration, the experimental manipulations and dependent measures were largely consistent with Study 1. However, minor refinements included an expanded measure of potential for compromise, which now assessed perceived agreement on specific policies (e.g., “government spending on health and education”).
Study 3 incorporated an additional condition using untruncated barplots, a recommended alternative for visualizing group comparisons. The study recruited 1,153 participants (576 Republicans, 577 Democrats). This new condition allowed the researchers to compare overlapping distributions to both truncated and untruncated barplots. As in the earlier studies, participants completed measures of perceived similarity, qualitative and quantitative hope, and intergroup attitudes after engaging with the graphs.
Across all three studies, the overlapping distribution condition consistently led to greater perceived value similarity between Republicans and Democrats compared to the other conditions. In Study 1, participants in this condition reported significantly higher perceived similarity scores than those in both the truncated barplot condition and baseline. The overlapping distributions also elicited more hopeful open-ended responses, with coders rating comments from this group as significantly more hopeful than those from the other conditions.
In Study 2, the effects observed in Study 1 were replicated in a larger sample. Participants exposed to overlapping distributions again perceived greater value similarity than those in the other conditions. Additionally, this group reported a stronger belief in the potential for compromise, including perceived agreement on divisive policies such as government spending. Open-ended comments continued to reflect higher levels of hopefulness compared to other conditions.
Study 3 expanded the findings by comparing overlapping distributions to untruncated barplots. The overlapping distribution condition yielded the highest scores for perceived similarity and qualitative hope, with the untruncated barplot condition falling between the overlapping distributions and truncated barplots. Interestingly, while both overlapping distributions and untruncated barplots improved perceived potential for compromise and reduced dehumanization, overlapping distributions had a stronger impact on participants’ sense of shared reality and qualitative hope. Quantitative hope measures, however, did not consistently reflect these trends across studies.
The authors noted a discrepancy between qualitative and quantitative measures of hope, suggesting that while participants expressed hope in unprompted text, these feelings were less apparent in survey responses. They recommend further research to understand this divergence and the longevity of the intervention’s effects.
Overall, this research shows that presenting overlapping distributions of shared values can counteract misperceptions of polarization and foster hope, demonstrating a novel approach to bridging divides in polarized societies.
The research, “(https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506241263887) Correcting Misperceptions of Fundamental Differences Between U.S. Republicans and Democrats: Some Hope-Inspiring Effects,” was authored by Lukas J. Wolf and Paul H. P. Hanel.

(https://www.psypost.org/religious-service-attendance-linked-to-lower-dementia-risk-in-black-older-adults/) Religious service attendance linked to lower dementia risk in Black older adults
Dec 10th 2024, 10:00

An analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study focusing on Black participants found that older adults with higher participation in religious or spiritual activities were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Those who never attended religious services had 2.37 times higher odds of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementias than those who attended such services more than once a week. The research was published in the (https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24125) American Journal of Human Biology.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. It is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and adverse behavioral changes. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the accumulation of abnormal protein deposits in the brain, including beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. These accumulations disrupt neuronal function and connectivity, ultimately leading to cell death.
Symptoms typically begin with short-term memory loss and gradually worsen to include difficulties with reasoning, language, and performing daily tasks. However, Alzheimer’s is not the only type of dementia. Other conditions can produce cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s disease but involve different underlying mechanisms.
These include vascular dementia, caused by reduced blood flow to the brain; Lewy body dementia, associated with abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies; frontotemporal dementia, which involves degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes; and mixed dementia, where multiple types coexist. The authors of this study refer to all these types of dementia as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs).
Studies have indicated that specific lifestyle factors might affect the risk of developing dementia. Study authors Eric E. Griffith and his colleagues sought to explore whether religious or spiritual activities, an important component of the sociocultural environment, are associated with the risk of ADRDs. They focused particularly on Black individuals, as they believed religious and spiritual activities play a significant role in the lives of Black people.
The researchers analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, a large longitudinal dataset of people over 50 years old, which includes a substantial proportion of older Black adults. The data used in their analyses came from 4,356 participants who identified as Black/African American and were 40 years old or older at the time of participation. Of these, 4% had an ADRD diagnosis at the time of the study, and 75% had hypertension. Participants’ mean age was 63 years, and 62% were female.
The study authors examined participants’ responses regarding how frequently they attended religious services, how often they prayed privately, and four additional items assessing aspects of their religious beliefs (religious salience). They also analyzed data on participants’ ADRD diagnoses, hypertension, and various demographic characteristics.
The results showed that participants who did not attend religious services at all had 2.46 times higher odds of being diagnosed with ADRD than those who attended religious services more than once a week. However, the frequency of prayer and religious salience were not associated with ADRD risk.
Additionally, participants with a hypertension diagnosis had three times higher odds of being diagnosed with ADRD compared to those without hypertension.
“Our results showed that communal R/S activity (i.e., attending R/S services) [religious/spiritual] impacted ADRD risk but private R/S (i.e., prayer and religious salience) did not have protective effects for Black people living in the United States. These findings demonstrate the importance that existing cultural networks (e.g., R/S) can have for reducing the burden of ADRD on Black people and has important implications for the role of R/S in shaping ADRD symptomatology,” the study authors concluded.
The study highlights the link between attending religious services and reduced dementia risk. However, it is important to note that attending religious services requires a person to be aware of time, able to travel to the place of worship and return home (most often independently), and to be in good cognitive and physical health to participate in the service. These capacities are often compromised in individuals suffering from dementia.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24125) Religious participation is associated with fewer dementia diagnoses among Black people in the United States,” was authored by Eric E. Griffith, Paul A. Robbins, Bethlehem T. Ferede, and Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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