When older couples are close together, their heart rates synchronize


Date:
November 17, 2021
Source:
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences
Summary:
As couples grow old together, their interdependence
heightens. Often, they become each other's primary source of
physical and emotional support. Long-term marriages have a
profound impact on health and well- being, but benefits depend
on relationship quality. A new study examines the dynamics of
long-term relationships through spatial proximity. The researchers
find that when partners are close to each other, their heart rates
synchronize in complex patterns of interaction.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
As couples grow old together, their interdependence heightens. Often,
they become each other's primary source of physical and emotional
support. Long-term marriages have a profound impact on health and
well-being, but benefits depend on relationship quality.


==========================================================================
A new study from the University of Illinois examines the dynamics of
long-term relationships through spatial proximity. The researchers find
that when partners are close to each other, their heart rates synchronize
in complex patterns of interaction.

"Relationship researchers typically ask people how they're doing and
assume they can recall properly and give meaningful answers. But as
couples age and have been together for a long time, they laugh when we ask
them how satisfied or how committed they are. When they have been married
for 30 or 40 years, they feel that indicates commitment in itself,"
says Brian Ogolsky, associate professor in the Department of Human
Development and Family Studies at the U of I and lead author on the study.

"We were looking for more objective ways to measure relationship dynamics,
and we know that being around other people has psychological benefits. So, physical proximity seemed liked a strong candidate." But just being
close to another person isn't always beneficial; it depends on the nature
of the interaction, Ogolsky points out. Closeness in the context of a
conflict is very different from closeness in the context of a loving interaction. Similarly, changes in heart rate can be positive or negative.

"We're not focusing on cause and effect, but on co-regulation, which
happens when heart rates move in a synchronous pattern. That is,
when the partners are close, their heart rate patterns indicate an
interaction that is collectively meaningful in some way." The study
included 10 heterosexual, married couples, ages 64 to 88, who had been
in their relationships from 14 to 65 years. The researchers followed
the couples for two weeks, continuously tracking their heart rates and
their proximity to each other when at home.



========================================================================== Participants wore a Fitbit measuring their heart rate. They also wore
a small proximity-sensing device. The researchers installed sensors in
the home that allowed them to monitor the devices and observe in real
time how physically close the spouses were to each other. They could
then correlate all three measures -- each partner's heart rate and the
couple's proximity -- in real time.

The researchers called the couples in the morning to remind them to put
on the Fitbit and tracking device, and again in the evening for a survey
about their health and well-being as well as their relationship dynamics throughout the day.

"Our first step was to see if heart rate and proximity are correlated over time. We looked at the husband's heart rate with proximity, the wife's
heart rate with proximity, and the two heart rates with each other,"
Ogolsky says.

"We also wanted to know if all three time-series worked together to give
us unique information. Can we use any of them to predict the others? And
the answer is yes. All three time-series need to be included for us
to be able to predict any one of them well." The findings indicated a
lead-lag relationship in heart rate synchronization, where one partner
leads and the other follows. Sometimes the wife's heart rate would lead
the change and other times the husband's heart rate would change and
the wife's would follow.



========================================================================== "This suggests a delicate balance. When one partner triggers the other
partner, they start a unique couple-level dance that affects their
physiology and their patterns throughout the day," Ogolsky states.

Because of the small number of participants, the study did not include comparisons between couples. But even within the couples, no clear
patterns emerged.

"We found each day is a unique context that changes depending on
circumstances.

Couple interactions, their attitudes, behaviors, whether they're close
to each other or far away, change all the time. Even across 14 days,
couples are not consistent enough in these kinds of objective patterns
to allow us to make any couple-level conclusions. We can make only make day-level predictions." Ogolsky notes this finding is an important contribution to relationship research, which usually relies on drawing conclusions across couples.

"If we really want to understand the unique patterns of interaction
that happen within couples, we need to start focusing our attention on
micro processes; the small interaction patterns that accumulate over a
day. Those tell us about the nature of how couples' interactions play out
from moment to moment." This work was supported by the Center for Social
and Behavioral Science and National Institute of Food and Agriculture
grant number 793-349.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Illinois_College_of_Agricultural,_Consumer and_Environmental_Sciences. Original written by Marianne Stein. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Brian G. Ogolsky, Shannon T. Mejia, Alexandra Chronopoulou, Kiersten
Dobson, Christopher R. Maniotes, TeKisha M. Rice, Yifan Hu,
Jaclyn C.

Theisen, Carolina Carvalho Manha~es Leite. Spatial proximity as
a behavioral marker of relationship dynamics in older adult couples.

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2021; 026540752110500
DOI: 10.1177/02654075211050073 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211117211605.htm

--- up 6 days, 2 hours, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)