It’s a match: Exploring joint emotion regulation profiles among mixed-sex couples

How do couples differ from other couples in how they regulate their own and their partner’s emotions? Although research on emotion regulation is blooming, insights into joint emotion regulation profiles—that is, the overlap between partners’ specific strategies to regulate themselves and their partner—remain limited. To address this gap, we identified joint intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation profiles in 120 mixed-sex couples; clustering couples together based on both partners’ reported intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies. Additionally, we examined associations between profile-membership and well-being indicators. The identified joint emotion regulation profiles differed in three ways: (1) degree of regulation (e.g., no use of any vs. high use of all strategies), (2) strategies predominantly used; and (3) degree of similarity—or lack thereof—between partners. Together, these findings provide the first insights into the role of joint emotion regulation profiles in the health of couples and their relationships, highlighting the unique roles played by both partners in regulating their own and their partner’s emotions. Further research is needed to assess if these results generalize to inclusive samples and daily life.