Enhancing Relationship Quality through Behavioral-Based Appreciation of Romantic Partner's Character Strengths

Recognizing strengths in romantic partners is associated with relationship quality. However, is mere recognition sufficient, or does genuine appreciation play a more pivotal role? We address this question in a mixed-methods study comprising 90 heterosexual couples, randomly allocated into one of three groups: (1) intervention: six weekly 20-minute sessions of mutual appreciation of partners' strengths used during the week; (2) placebo control: six weekly sessions focused on mutual sharing of paired interactions, and (3) no-treatment control. Participants completed questionnaires measuring marital satisfaction and burnout before, immediately following, and a month following the 6-week intervention. Additionally, before and after the intervention, participants rated two perceptions of partner strengths: (1) the benefits (the utility and effectiveness associated with their use) and (2) the costs (potential drawbacks of their use). The main analyses showed no significant effect of the intervention. However, a non-significant trend was observed among women, but not men, in the intervention group between the initial and post-intervention evaluations of benefits. Qualitative analysis revealed that compared with men, women were significantly more attributed with strengths of social intelligence and love and were nearly twice as likely as men to express appreciation for their partners' strengths-based behaviors directed toward them. Whether due to women being more attuned to these actions or men being more inclined to demonstrate strengths to their wives, women reported accruing greater benefits from their partners' strengths than men. Overall, this study emphasizes the contribution of behavioral-based appreciation for the partner's strengths in enhancing relationship quality, particularly for women.