Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality

Using a newspaper questionnaire, a door-to-door survey, and 3 laboratory ex periments, the authors examined a proposed effect of shared participation i n novel and arousing activities on experienced relationship quality. The qu estionnaire and survey studies found predicted correlations of reported sha red "exciting" activities and relationship satisfaction plus their predicte d mediation by relationship boredom. In all 3 experiments, the authors foun d predicted greater increases in experienced relationship quality from befo re to after participating together in a 7-min novel and arousing (vs. a mor e mundane) task. Comparison with a no-activity control showed the effect wa s due to the novel-arousing task. The same effect was found on ratings of v ideotaped discussions before and after the experimental task. Finally, all results remained after controlling for relationship social desirability. Re sults bear on general issues of boredom and excitement in relationships and the role of such processes in understanding the typical early decline of r elationship quality after the honeymoon period.