Attachment theory is almost everywhere. In magazines and books, in the news, on social media and in our conversations with each other. But some of the most important features of attachment theory are getting lost in translation.
A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships seeks to determine if there is a benefit for spouses who struggle with attachment insecurity (anxiety or avoidance) to believe in their partner's positive and caring traits. The...
A new survey revealed that individuals high in attachment anxiety reported higher use of dating apps, but also more negative experiences after recent sexual encounters both with partners they met online and those they met offline. Individuals high in avoidance...
A study on New Zealanders showed that mindfulness buffered the link between anxious attachment and maladaptive sexual motivations. Anxiously attached individuals who were more aware of their motives and reasons for behavior were less willing to engage in sex to...
In two daily diary studies on couples and undergraduate students, researchers found that feeling appreciated buffered the negative link between avoidant attachment style and prosocial behavior towards their partners. People who are uncomfortable with intimacy were more willing to do...
It’s often assumed that all people who are asexual are also “aromantic” – that they aren’t interested in being in romantic relationships or aren’t capable of doing so. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Asexuality exists on a...
A recent study published in Personal Relationships found that the lyrics of our favorite songs could be clues to our attachment style.
People who are insecure about their attachments to others tend to exhibit greater negative attribution bias, according to new research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
New research on German dog owners finds that people with stronger relationships to their pets display more symptoms of mental disorders and distress, but proposes that this link may be fully accounted for by insecure attachment to other humans. The...
Feeling anxious about your romantic relationship and fearing abandonment leads to stronger tendencies to sexually objectify yourself, according to new research published in Psychology of Women Quarterly.
New research provides evidence that positive relationship events play an important role in romantic attachment avoidance. The findings, which have been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, indicate that positive relationship events in everyday life predict decreases...
People say love is blind, but is love also anosmic? A new study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology suggests that people may actually smell their partner’s body odor differently based on their attachment style.
New research published in the Journal of Research in Personality suggests that people can accurately perceive a potential partner's attachment anxiety during a brief speed dating encounter. But this does not appear to be the case for attachment anxiety.
A new study sheds light on how insecure attachment styles are related to motives for engaging in sexual activity with one's romantic partner. In addition, the research provides evidence that these sexual motives play an important role in the link...
Can attachment style be a predictor of aggression? A study published in BMC Psychology suggests that fearful and dismissive attachment styles can be related to more anger, higher levels of hostility, and an increase in aggression.