Research
Expectations
Should we have high or low expectations of our partners? Would we be more satisfied in a relationship if we lowered our expectations for a loved one who has disappointed us? Are the happiest people truly those who expect nothing?
These are the questions we aim to answer in a research project funded by the National Science Centre. The project includes longitudinal studies, experiments, and cross-sectional research.
Lab members involved in the project:
Magdalena Śmieja, Maryna Kołeczek, Daria Gruberska, Błażej Mośny, Łukasz Zaborowski, Jan Wiecha
Collaborators:
Paweł Jemioło, Marta Maj, Jakub Cacek, Małgorzata Wójcik, Magdalena Niedbał and students from the Institute of Psychology at Jagiellonian University: Natalia Hetman, Gabriela Jarosz, Wiktoria Korduła, Mikołaj Machowski, Anna Pyrda, Paweł Starzomski
Being Moved
Can feeling moved strengthen intimacy in romantic relationships? Do shared moments of emotional connection enhance relationship satisfaction? Or is it only the emotion of being-moved we experience specifically about our partner that improves the bond? Do lonely individuals feel moved in the same way as those who are content in their relationships?
Our published research shows that loneliness can reduce the intensity of being moved. A deeper exploration of how being moved relates to relationship quality is the focus of Jan Wiecha’s doctoral dissertation. His work examines these questions through cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal studies.
Lab members involved in the project:
Jan Wiecha, Magdalena Śmieja, Alicja Walczak, Błażej Mośny, Maryna Kołeczek,
Collaborators:
Agata Blaut, Joanna Kłosowska, Małgorzata Wójcik, Janis H. Zickfeld
Singlehood and Loneliness
What factors and traits prevent people from finding a partner? What makes a modern men feel lonely and rejected? How do voluntary singles differ from those who suffer from their single status and identify as incels? How does blackpill ideology influence singlehood?
Our research addresses these questions through studies on the relationship between attachment styles and prolonged singlehood, the development of scales measuring blackpill and redpill ideologies, and, most importantly, Alicja Walczak’s doctoral project. Her work systematically explores the personality, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of incels.
Collaborators:
Tomasz Oleksy, Wojciech Podsiadłowski, Jakub Cacek, Weronika Kubińska
Disgust
How comfortable would you feel accidentally using your partner’s toothbrush? Could your answer to this question reveal deeper feelings about your significant other? Can disgust serve as a subtle indicator of implicit attitudes toward a partner?
We answer these questions using our original scale that discreetly measures feelings of disgust toward a close partner. We then relate these findings to relationship quality, relationship duration, and sexual orientation.
Lab members involved in the project:
Magdalena Śmieja, Jan Wiecha, Błażej Mośny, Maryna Kołeczek,
Collaborators:
Agata Blaut
Emotional Intelligence
Is emotional intelligence a trait or an ability? Are emotionally intelligent people naturally empathetic and prosocial, or can they use their emotional skills against others? Can people accurately assess their own emotional abilities? And can emotional intelligence improve the quality of a romantic relationship?
These questions were explored in two research projects, resulting in a series of articles and two monographs. Our research has shown that emotional intelligence conceptualized as an ability, can be used for both prosocial and antisocial purposes. In close relationships, it increases awareness of what is happening between partners but does not necessarily contribute to greater relationship satisfaction. A significant outcome of our work on emotional intelligence is the development of the first Polish emotional intelligence test, measuring it as an ability (TIE).
Lab members involved in the project:
Magdalena Śmieja
Collaborators:
Jarosław Orzechowski, Dariusz Asanowicz, Maciej Stolarski, Dorota Kobylińska
