Romantic Jealousy and Relational Satisfaction: A Look at the Impact of Jealousy Experience and Expression

This study investigated the combined effects jealousy experience and expression have on relational satisfaction. A sample of 346 individuals currently involved in dating or marital relationships completed questionnaires. Results indicated that: (1) cognitive jealousy is a more potent predictor of relational satisfaction than emotional jealousy, (2) individuals who use integrative communication and/or expression of negative affect to communicate jealousy, while refraining from using distributive communication and/or active distancing, are most likely to be satisfied with their relationships, and (3) jealousy expression accounts for significantly more variance in relational satisfaction than jealousy experience alone.