Couple Relationship Distress and Observed Expression of Intimacy During Reminiscence About Positive Relationship Events

• Negative communication when problem solving correlates with relationship distress.
• The current study evaluates positive reminiscence as an assessment of positive intimacy.
• Distressed couples show low dyadic intimacy and sadness in positive reminiscence.
• Positive reminiscence is useful to assess positive intimacy in couples.

Satisfied couples report that positive, intimate communication is central to their relationship. We developed the positive reminiscence task, in which couples discuss positive relationship moments to assess communication of positive intimacy. The behavior and heart rate of 28 satisfied and 25 distressed couples were assessed during positive reminiscence and problem solving. As predicted, satisfied couples demonstrated higher rates of positive affect and dyadic intimacy than distressed couples during positive reminiscence, and these positive behaviors occurred at much lower rates during problem solving than positive reminiscence. However, the differences between distressed and satisfied couples were more marked on most assessed behaviors during problem solving rather than positive reminiscence. Two notable exceptions were that dyadic intimacy and sadness differed more between distressed and satisfied couples during positive reminiscence than problem solving. The positive reminiscence task assesses intimate behaviors in a manner likely to be useful in research and practice.