Positive Exchanges Buffer Negative Exchanges: Associations With Marital Satisfaction Among U.S. Mixed-Sex Couples

Abstract

Perceived positive and negative exchanges in relationships contribute to marital satisfaction in qualitatively distinct manners. However, the nature of these associations is unclear with some studies demonstrating curvilinear relationships and some literature suggesting interaction effects of positive and negative exchanges on marital satisfaction. Extant work has not compared curvilinear and interactive models to address this discrepancy. The present study clarifies these associations by comparing multiple models. Based on cross-sectional data from 886 mixed-sex married couples from across the U.S., we found that marital satisfaction was associated with greater positive exchanges and lower negative exchanges. In addition, the data support interaction effects of positive and negative exchanges on marital satisfaction, but not curvilinear effects. Specifically, high positive exchanges may buffer the impact of negative exchanges on relational satisfaction. Gender differences in effects were not supported. These findings confirm that positive and negative exchanges are distinct constructs and demonstrate how relationship satisfaction scores suffer from issues of equifinality by failing to distinguish between very different qualitative relational experiences. We suggest that curvilinear, plateauing effects may be an artifact of data loss when analyzing individuals in relationships rather than whole dyads, and suggest that scholars study positive and negative exchanges with both members of a dyad moving forward