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On this Valentine’s Day, here are three recently published papers that shed light on some of the science behind all the love that’s in the air: How stress affects partners’ hearts beating in sync; the public health implications of college students swiping right; and an unexpected finding about the psychological effects of a lover’s scent.
Stress Disrupts Couples’ Heart Synchronization
Acute stress can interrupt physiological synchrony between romantic partners, according to a study by Bernadette Denk, PhD, and colleagues in Biological Psychology.
The Data
- In a study of 75 romantic couples (mean age, 22 years), 38 pairs experienced an experimental condition in which one partner underwent the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task to induce stress, while their counterparts and the other couples completed a non-stressful control task.
- Cardiac synchrony was significantly reduced for couples where one partner had been instructed to submerge their hand in ice-cold water.
- The physiological decoupling persisted throughout the experiment during subsequent tasks and unstructured social interactions.
In Their Own Words
“Our results highlight that stress is not only an intra- but also an interpersonal phenomenon affecting interpersonal physiological processes and social interactions beyond the acute stressor.”
Read it: Coupled Hearts – Effect of Partner Stress on Cardiac Synchronization
Swiping Right Tied to Depression and STIs?
Problematic use of online dating apps correlates with adverse mental and sexual health outcomes in university students, Babette L. Winter, PhD, and colleagues report in BMJ Public Health.
The Data
- In a study about the problematic use of dating apps, 923 Swiss university students completed a questionnaire that asked whether online dating was interfering with their lives and whether they had tried to cut back.
- Higher scores on the problematic use scale predicted significantly more symptoms of depression and impulsivity.
- Students with problematic use patterns showed a 1.1-fold increased lifetime prevalence of a sexually transmitted infection, a 1.2-fold increased prevalence of such an infection in the past 12 months, and more partners in recent months.
In Their Own Words
“Given that reward sensitivity peaks during emerging adulthood, [online dating apps] might have high addictive potential in this vulnerable demographic, given their inherent rewarding properties.”
Partner’s Smell Triggers Arousal, Not Calm
Subconsciously smelling a romantic partner’s body odor increases psychological stress and heart rate during psychosocial stress rather than providing the expected calming effects, Franny B. Spengler, PhD, and colleagues describe in Scientific Reports.
The Data
- In a controlled study of 179 participants, exposure to the smell of a romantic partner via an olfactometer during the Trier Social Stress Test increased heart rate and measures of subjective stress.
- The scent did not affect cortisol release, however.
- The stress-amplifying effects were most pronounced in participants who rated their partner’s odor as sexually attractive, suggesting subconscious arousal may drive cardiovascular responses.
In Their Own Words
“Our findings suggest that the mere subconscious chemosensory partner cue might not be sufficient to mirror support effects of an actually present partner and to induce a sense of security and calm.”
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
