Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships
Video and Multimedia
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Video Links
Laura Heck: Relationships 101: The Science of Great Relationships—Talks at Google
Description: In this lecture, Laura Heck, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses Dr. John Gottman’s Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. In this talk, she discusses how to maintain a long lasting marriage.
Can Men and Women Be Just Friends? The Science of Love
Description: Chapter 10 discusses the various challenges that cross-sex friendships deal with. In this video, an experiment tests whether men and women could just be friends despite these challenges. Why do men and women seem to differ in matching some of their needs in cross-sex friendships?
Adults Have a Harder Time Maintaining Close Friends
Description: This news video discusses the difficulty of maintaining close friends as an adult. What prosocial strategies would you recommend to adults who struggle with maintaining close friends?
Description: Pinocchio relationships are often difficult to maintain. In this short film, a couple meets first meets online, then they met in person, and finally continued their long-distance relationship through the use of technology.
Want a Happier Marriage? Share the Housework
Description: Equity theory explains how couples balance the costs and rewards in their relationship. This video illustrates that sharing housework can benefit marital relationships. What is your perspective on this issue?
Guys Tell Their Friends “I Love You” For the First Time
Description: In this video, males tell each other that they love each other for the very first time. Why is it difficult to engage in prosocial maintenance behaviors such as affection in same-sex male friendships? How can expressing affectionate messages maintain male friendships?
Audio Links
Study: Social Media Play Key Role in Maintaining Teen Romances
Description: This NPR podcast discusses how teens adopt social media to maintain their romantic relationships. A Pew Research Center study found that social media helps teens feel more connected to their romantic partners. What are your perspectives on the use of social media to maintain romantic relationships?
Dr. Arthur Aron on the Science of Lasting Love
Description: In this podcast episode, Dr. Arthur Aron discusses how to make love last in order to maintain healthy relationships. How can one apply strategic and routine-based maintenance behaviors to have a long, healthy relationship?
Social Anxiety and Maintaining Computer-Mediated Friendships
Description: This podcast illustrates the findings of a study of motivations and relational maintenance on computer-mediated relationships. Individuals who encounter social anxiety or social phobia struggle to maintain face-to-face friendships, and as a result they turn to computer-mediated friendships. How can communication technologies help social phobic individuals maintain CMC friendships?
Description: This podcast introduces stories of cohabitation and shares what it takes to maintain this type of relationship. What challenges do cohabiting couples face? What strategies can cohabiting couples implement to make their relationship last?
Web Links
The Care and Maintenance of Friendship
Description: Maintaining quality friendships can improve the quality of your life. In this PsychCentral article, several maintenance strategies are introduced to maintain friendships. Which of these strategies have you implemented to maintain your friendships? Do these strategies work equally well in same-sex versus opposite-sex friendships? Why or why not?
Ben Affleck was Right: Relationships are Hard Work. And That’s OK
Description: Read the following Science of Relationships article to find out why Ben Affleck was right about relational maintenance. Why does he argue that relational maintenance is hard work?
Doing the Work of Relationships: A Maintenance Approach
Description: Chapter 10 introduces several strategies that serve to maintain relationships. In this Psychology Today blog article, Dr. Sean Horan discusses the amount of work it takes to maintain quality relationships. What strategies have you implemented in your relationships?
Love and Technology: The Double-Edged Sword
Description: This Sundial news article discusses the role of technology in maintaining romantic relationships in college. What challenges does technology present in maintaining intimate relationships?
7 Secrets to Making Platonic Friendships Work
Description: In this Huffington Post article, seven secrets are illustrated to help us make cross-sex, non-sexual friendships work after marriage. Can one keep platonic cross-sex friendships after marriage?