Sliding Versus Deciding in Relationships: Associations With Relationship Quality, Commitment, and Infidelity

Abstract

From choosing a partner to date to deciding to cohabit or marry, individuals are faced with many relationship choices. Given the costs of failed relationships (e.g., personal distress, problems with work, lower well-being for children, lost opportunities to meet other partners), it is important to consider how individuals are approaching these decisions. The current study tested if more thoughtful and clear relationship decision-making processes would relate to individuals’ levels of satisfaction with and dedication to their partners as well as their extradyadic involvements. In a sample of 252 men and women, the results showed that regardless of relationship status (i.e., dating, cohabiting, or married), those who reported more thoughtful decision-making processes also reported more dedication to their partners, higher satisfaction with the relationship, and fewer extradyadic involvements.

KEYWORDS:

• decision-making
• commitment
• relationship satisfaction
• infidelity

Acknowledgments

Support for the second and third authors’ work on this article was provided, in part, by Award R01HD047564 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

1. Married individuals had significantly higher scores on physical deciding compared with individuals in cohabiting relationships; however, there were no statistically significant differences between individuals in dating and cohabiting relationships. There were no statistically significant differences across relationship status for emotional deciding.