When times get tough: savoring and relationship satisfaction in couples coping with a stressful life event

Background and objectives: When couples face a stressful life event, this can adversely impact relationship satisfaction. Because savoring positive experiences is thought to enhance intimate relationships and there is evidence that savoring buffers the negative effects of stress at the intrapersonal level, this study examined savoring as an interpersonal resource for couples who experienced a stressful life event.Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight opposite-sex couples completed measures of impact of event, savoring, positive affect, and relationship satisfaction.Results: Results from actor-partner interdependence models found that: (1) For couple members who reported a relatively low impact of event, their own savoring was positively predicted by their partner\u27s impact of event; (2) For women, their own savoring the moment predicted their own and their partner\u27s greater relationship satisfaction; (3) The relationship between one\u27s own impact of event and relationship satisfaction was buffered by one\u27s partner\u27s savoring the moment; and (4) The relationship between one\u27s own savoring and relationship satisfaction was mediated by one\u27s own positive affect.Conclusions: The findings support the study of savoring as an interpersonal resource in times of stress and have implications for couples-based interventions