Psychological variables have been the focus of many scientists. We look at research into couple relationships through studies of partnership studies, papers on what makes sex satisfying and on intercourse. We end by reporting some work on the benefits fo selflessness.

Partnership studies

Marriage Advantage in Subjective Well-Being: Causal Effect or Unmeasured Heterogeneity?

Rings and Rebuttals: A quasi-experimental study on the psychological impact of marriage equality on low-income black sexual minorities in the United Kingdom

Beyond Satisfaction: The Role of Attachment in Marital Functioning

How’s Life at Home? New Evidence on Marriage and the Set Point for Happiness

Marriage and Happiness: Evidence from Taiwan

Social Baseline Theory: the social regulation of risk and effort

A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships

The Distress-Relief Dynamic in Attachment Bonding

The Highs and Lows of Love: Romantic Relationship Quality Moderates Whether Spending Time With One’s Partner Predicts Gains or Losses in Well-Being

Marital status and personal well-being: A literature review

Influence of a “warm touch” support enhancement intervention among married couples on ambulatory blood pressure, oxytocin, alpha amylase, and cortisol

Psychological Factors Involved in Sexual Desire, Sexual Activity, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Multi-factorial Perspective

Effects of adult attachment and presence of romantic partners on physiological responses to stress

Associations Between Patterns of Sexual Initiation, Sexual Partnering, and Sexual Health Outcomes from Adolescence to Early Adulthood

Sexual Activity and Sexual Satisfaction Among Older Adults in Four European Countries

Lending a hand: social regulation of the neural response to threat

Becoming married and mental health: A longitudinal study of a cohort of young adults

Reconceptualizing marital status as a continuum of social attachment

Women’s Orgasm and Sexual Satisfaction in Committed Sex and Casual Sex: Relationship Between Sociosexuality and Sexual Outcomes in Different Sexual Contexts

The Attachment Behavioral System In Adulthood: Activation, Psychodynamics, And Interpersonal Processes

Body Image, Depression, and Self-Perceived Pornography Addiction in Italian Gay and Bisexual Men: The Mediating Role of Relationship Satisfaction

What makes sex satisfying?

Descriptive experiences and sexual vs. nurturant aspects of cuddling between adult romantic partners

The components of optimal sexuality: A portrait of “great sex”

High Emotional and Sexual Satisfaction Among Partnered Midlife Canadians: Associations with Relationship Characteristics, Sexual Activity and Communication, and Health

Does Sex Really Matter? Examining the Connections Between Spouses’ Nonsexual Behaviors, Sexual Frequency, Sexual Satisfaction, and Marital Satisfaction

Psychological variables related to sexual activity

Satisfaction (sexual, life, relationship, and mental health) is associated directly with penile-vaginal intercourse, but inversely with other sexual behavior frequencies

Frequent Sexual Activity Predicts Specific Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults

Frequency of Penile-Vaginal Intercourse is Associated with Verbal Recognition Performance in Adult Women

Lifetime depression history and sexual function in women at midlife

Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Is Better: Evidence Trumps Ideology

Specifically Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Frequency Is Associated With Better Relationship Satisfaction: A Commentary on Hicks, McNulty, Meltzer, and Olson

Altered States of Consciousness Are Related to Higher Sexual Responsiveness

Sexuality as a health-promoting factor — theoretical and clinical considerations

Benefits of selflessness

Security-Based Differences in Touch Behavior and Its Relational Benefits

Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: results from a prospective study of mortality

Caregiving Behavior Is Associated With Decreased Mortality Risk

The “You and I” of Happiness: Investigating the Long‐Term Impact of Self‐ and Other‐Focused Happiness‐Enhancing Activities

When Giving Feels Good: The Intrinsic Benefits of Sacrifice in Romantic Relationships for the Communally Motivated