The association between emotion work balance and relationship satisfactionof couples seeking therapy

Emotion work refers to the efforts that are made to enhance emotional well- being and provide emotional support in a relationship. Data were collected from 63 couples who were seeking therapy to determine the relation between emotion work balance and relationship satisfaction. On the basis of compara tive scores on emotion work, each dyad was categorized as either: (a) balan ced; (b) participant performs more emotion work; or (c) partner performs mo re emotion work. Results indicate that both men and women are most satisfie d with their relationship when levels of emotion work are approximately equ al. Thus, clinical interventions that aim to establish balance in emotion w ork may benefit both partners in a relationship.