Two studies will be conducted to examine the impact of mindfulness on different types of romantic jealousy, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral (Pfeiffer & Wong, 1989). Using hierarchical linear regression analyses, in Study 1 we will test whether and how mindfulness influences the different types of romantic jealousy controlling for person's self-esteem and relationship contingent self-esteem. In Study 2, mediational analyses will be used to evaluate the different types of romantic jealousy as mediators of the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. We hypothesize that, because both cognitive and behavioral jealousy, but not emotional jealousy, are associated with suspicions concerning a partner's infidelity and more negative relationship outcomes, they should be reduced by high levels of mindfulness. In turn, individuals low in cognitive and behavioral jealousy (rather than emotional jealousy) are expected to experience greater relationship satisfaction. The intent of the present research is to extend previous findings on romantic jealousy by suggesting the importance of mindfulness as a key factor promoting relationship functioning.
Findings from existing literature suggest that both mindfulness and romantic jealousy play a relevant role in influencing romantic relationship functioning. Previous research demonstrated that mindfulness has considerable usefulness for reducing couple discord and dissolution (e.g., Carrere & Gottman, 1999; Gottman & Levenson, 1992). Being mindfully present and aware of one's current experience, indeed, leads individuals to view their romantic relationship more positively and to experience greater relationship satisfaction (e.g., Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell, & Rogge, 2007; Burpee & Langer, 2005; Kozlowski, 2012). The heightened attention and understanding, which defines mindfulness, significantly predicts lower levels of negativity in romantic relationship, reflected in less anxiety (Caughlin, Huston, & Houts, 2000), anger expression (Wachs & Cordova, 2007), verbal aggression (Barnes et al., 2007), and conflict escalation (Hertz, Laurent, & Laurent, 2014; Laurent, Laurent, Hertz, Egan-Wright, & Granger, 2013).
Romantic jealousy is another factor which has been extensively studied for its effects on the quality of couple's relationship. With respect to the multidimensional conceptualization of romantic jealousy (Pfeiffer & Wong, 1989), our focus here, previous research provided evidence that the three types of jealousy (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and behavioral) are differentially related with relationship satisfaction. Specifically, relationship satisfaction was found negatively associated with both cognitive and behavioral jealousy (e.g., Andersen, Eloy, Guerrero, & Spitzberg, 1995; Aylor & Dainton, 2001; Bevan, 2008; DiBello, Rodriguez, Hadden, & Neighbors, 2015), but unrelated with emotional jealousy (Bevan, 2008; DiBello et al., 2015; Sidelinger & Booth-Butterfield, 2007). Moreover, researchers have observed that both cognitive and behavioral jealousy (rather than emotional jealousy) provoke greater relationship dissatisfaction via an increase in ruminations (Elphinston, Feeney, Noller, Connor, & Fitzgerald, 2013).
To the authors' knowledge, however, no work has examined the association between constructs of mindfulness and romantic jealousy. We think that a natural next step would be to explore whether mindfulness, as a naturally occurring attribute of consciousness, would influence individuals' levels of romantic jealousy, and, in turn, their relationship satisfaction. Addressing this issue, we first focus on the association between mindfulness and romantic jealousy and then we develop a mediational model by integrating this link with relationship satisfaction. Based on related theories and previous research, we propose that cognitive and behavioral jealousy, but not emotional jealousy, mediate the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction, so that mindful individuals are less cognitively and behaviorally jealous (rather than emotionally jealous) and, in turn, more satisfied in their romantic relationship.
The present research intends to provide a more complete view of psychological processes underlying romantic relationship satisfaction. This has important theoretical implications in that it is the first attempt to link mindfulness with romantic jealousy and it contributes to the conceptualization of mindfulness as a key factor promoting relationship functioning.