John and Julie Gottman's research on trust in relationships emphasizes that trust is built through small, consistent moments of connection rather than grand gestures, with these everyday interactions accumulating over time to create a foundation of trust. Their work shows that consistency in honest words and actions is a primary ingredient of trust, allowing partners to let their guard down and experience deeper relational intimacy.
Jeffrey Simpson's study "Psychological Foundations of Trust" examines how trust develops, is maintained, and occasionally unravels in dyadic relationships. His research framework defines trust as the extent to which a person expects a social partner to aid them in reaching an optimal decision or goal, and the belief in a partner's reliability or benevolence when outcomes are uncertain. Simpson's work emphasizes that reliability and dependability are foundational to building trust in relationships.
This landmark study titled "Intimacy as an Interpersonal Process" examined how self-disclosure and partner responsiveness contribute to the experience of intimacy in interactions. The researchers found that self-disclosure of emotion emerged as a more important predictor of intimacy than disclosure of facts and information, and emotional disclosures reveal innermost feelings and lie most closely to the core of self-definition.
Mario Mikulincer and Phillip Shaver's comprehensive work on attachment theory shows that a sense of attachment security provides a foundation for mental health, social adjustment, and psychological thriving. Their research demonstrates that attachment security enables individuals to attend to both their own and others' needs more effectively, with secure individuals able to witness and respond to vulnerability in partners.
Sue Johnson's work on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) emphasizes that therapists help couples explore, deepen, and expand constricted emotional responses within and between individuals to shape new forms of engagement. Her approach shows that conflict patterns stem from disruptions in attachment bonds and failures in emotional regulation, with therapy focusing on reconstructing attachment bonds through de-escalating conflict patterns.
This is a landmark longitudinal research project that has been ongoing since 2011. Here are the key details:
Study Overview: The Professional Fighters Brain Health Study is a longitudinal study of active professional fighters (boxers and mixed martial artists), retired professional fighters, and controls matched for age and level of education. The main objective is to determine the relationships between measures of head trauma exposure and other potential modifiers and changes in brain imaging and neurological and behavioral function over time. PubMedOxford Academic
Key Findings:
Methodology: The study is designed to extend over 5 years, and we anticipate enrollment of more than 400 boxers and mixed martial artists. Participants will undergo annual evaluations that include 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanning, computerized cognitive assessments, speech analysis, surveys of mood and impulsivity, and blood sampling for genotyping and exploratory biomarker studies. Professional Fighters Brain Health Study: Rationale and Methods | American Journal of Epidemiology | Oxford Academic