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The Warmth of You, The Warmth in Me: The effect of partner presence and absence on the perception of physical warmth

dc.contributor.authorSurenkok Ulutan, Gizem
dc.contributor.chairHazan, Cynthia
dc.contributor.committeeMemberFerguson, Melissa J.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberZayas, Vivian
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-23T13:34:47Z
dc.date.available2020-08-22T06:00:39Z
dc.date.issued2018-08-30
dc.description.abstractAn important construct that has long been associated with feelings of social connectedness, interpersonal closeness, and security is warmth. In everyday language, phrases such as "warm embrace" are often utilized in situations where social connections are of interest, and words of similar nature are also used to describe personality traits. Although a growing body of empirical research has consistently demonstrated that physical warmth is closely linked to social intimacy and proximity, extant research has not examined whether the presence of romantic partners is similarly associated with physical warmth. The studies presented in this dissertation were the first ones to investigate the link between romantic partner presence and perception of physical warmth and reveal that imagining romantic partner presence or absence altered thermal perceptions. Across five studies, it was consistently found that simply imagining being together with the partner was associated with feelings of warmth, whereas imagining being separated from the partner was associated with feelings of coldness. Moreover, thinking about partner absence (vs. partner presence or a control scenario) was associated with a greater desire for warm activities potentially to compensate for the feelings of coldness. Together, these findings extend the consistent findings on the link between social and physical warmth to romantic relationships and provide further evidence for the regulatory role of romantic relationships and the robust link between physical warmth and interpersonal affection.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.7298/X42V2DC5
dc.identifier.otherSurenkokUlutan_cornellgrad_0058F_11111
dc.identifier.otherhttp://dissertations.umi.com/cornellgrad:11111
dc.identifier.otherbibid: 10489765
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1813/59669
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subjectclose relationships
dc.subjectRegulation
dc.subjectCognitive psychology
dc.subjectSocial psychology
dc.subjectWarmth
dc.subjectDevelopmental psychology
dc.subjectthermoregulation
dc.titleThe Warmth of You, The Warmth in Me: The effect of partner presence and absence on the perception of physical warmth
dc.typedissertation or thesis
dcterms.licensehttps://hdl.handle.net/1813/59810
thesis.degree.disciplineHuman Development
thesis.degree.grantorCornell University
thesis.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy
thesis.degree.namePh. D., Human Development

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