Emotion Regulation in Intimate Relationships

Intimate relationships are one of the most important social relationships in the lives of many people. According to the US census, 96 % of US adults over the age of 65 have been married at least once in their life. Social relationships in general (Butler, 2011; Campos, Walle, Dahl, & Main, 2011) and intimate relationships in particular (Levenson, Haase, Bloch, Holley, & Seider, 2013) are hotbeds of emotions. Navigating these complex socioemotional landscapes requires considerable regula-tory efforts. In fact, the vast majority of emotion regulation episodes takes place in social contexts (reports suggest up to 98%; Gross, Richards, & John, 2006). Although emotion regulation is a blooming research topic (e.g., Gross, 2013), most studies have focused on emotion regulation in individuals. In a review of studie