Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction

By Leslie C. Burpee, Ellen J. Langer. 2005

247 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This study investigated the relationships among mindfulness, marital satisfaction, and perceived spousal similarity. All 95 subjects responded to a questionnaire measuring each of these variables, and an additional series of demographic variables. A significant positive relationship was found between mindfulness and marital satisfaction, with no statistically significant relationship found between perceived spousal similarity and marital satisfaction. There was a stronger correlation between mindfulness and marital satisfaction than the correlation between marital satisfaction and any of the other variables, including similarity. These results carry meaningful implications for the role of mindfulness techniques within the context of building and maintaining happy marital relationships and general well-being.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/487a7550ffccce78fd749fedf16c202cd042d00f

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Citations in the corpus

The Relation Between Differentiation of Self and Marital Satisfaction: What Can Be Learned From Married People Over the Course of Life? (2008, background): “Marital satisfaction is defined as the degree to which spouses perceive that their partners meet their needs and desires ( Bahr, Chappell, & Leigh, 1983 ; Bohlander, 1999 ; Burpee & Langer, 2005 ).”
The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II: Development, Factor Structure, and Psychometrics (2009, background): “Also, although curiosity is rarely considered in the social world, recent work suggests that being curious is integral to creating and maintaining satisfying conversations and intimate relationships (e.g., Burpee & Langer, 2005; Gable, Reis, Impett, & Asher, 2004; Kashdan & Roberts, 2004).”
Mind the Gap in Mindfulness Research: A Comparative Account of the Leading Schools of Thought (2013, background): “The centrality of self-regulatory processes in brief mindfulness interventions can also explain the improvements that Langer and associates found in trait mindfulness following interventions (Djikic et al., 2008; Burpee & Langer, 2005).”
Mindfulness training and the cultivation of secure, satisfying couple relationships. (2013, unknown): “…empathic concern, and perspective taking (Wachs & Cordova, 2007); effective communication and adaptive response skills when faced with relational stress (Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell and Rogge, 2007); and greater consideration of one’s partner’s point of view (Burpee & Langer, 2005).”
Relational Aspects of Mindfulness: Implications for the Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy (2010, background): “Many studies have investigated the role of mindfulness in couple relationships and have found significant correlations between mindfulness level and relationship satisfaction (Barnes et al. 2007; Burpee and Langer 2005; Wachs and Cordova 2007).”
Mindful mating: exploring the connection between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction (2013, background): “The LMS covers four dimensions – novelty seeking, novelty producing, flexibility and engagement – only two of which, novelty producing and novelty sharing, demonstrated significant and positive correlations with marital satisfaction in the Burpee and Langer (2005) study.”
Mindfully in Love: A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction (2016, methodology): “Burpee and Langer (2005) used the Langer Mindfulness Scale (LMS; Langer, 2004) that assesses four key concepts related to mindfulness: novelty seeking, novelty producing, flexibility, and engagement.”
Interesting things and curious people: Exploration and engagement as transient states and enduring strengths. (2009, background): “In general, curious people report more satisfying social interactions and relationships, and their partners describe them as interested and responsive (Burpee & Langer, 2005; Kashdan & Roberts, 2004, 2006).”
Mindfulness, Spousal Attachment, and Marital Satisfaction: A Mediated Model (2011, background): “Further, while trait mindfulness has been shown to have a positive correlation with romantic relationship satisfaction, including marital satisfaction (Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell, & Rogge, 2007; Burpee & Langer, 2005; Wachs & Cordova, 2007), mechanisms of action have not been fully explored.”