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Public Affairs
When it comes to love,
Research by CSULA’s Professor Regan and her students
Los Angeles,
CA --
Researchers
from California State University, Los Angeles have found that
Indian couples in the U.S. whose marriages were arranged were no
different from couples in traditional marriages when it came to
measures, such as romance, love, satisfaction and commitment.
The
findings—which were published in the journal, Psychological Reports—offer
insight into a little-studied type of marriage. The study’s authors
included Psychology Professor
Pamela C. Regan
and her students Saloni Lakhanpal and Carlos Anguiano.
The sample
included 58 individuals living in a large city who had been married an
average of 10 years; while all were of Indian descent, the majority were
Hindu.
“Regardless
of the nature of their marriage (i.e., whether the spouse had been
selected by family members or matchmakers, or was personally and freely
chosen), the participants in this study were extremely—and equally—happy
with their relationships,” the researchers wrote in the study.
The study
included an additional surprise: men reported significantly higher
passionate and companion-centered love for their spouses, and more
commitment to their marriages than did women.
Called upon
frequently by media as an expert on “love” and “dating,” Regan’s
research interests focus on the areas of close relationships and
sexuality, specifically sexual attraction, passionate love, and mate
preference.
John Holmes,
a leading relationships scholar, described Regan’s book, The
Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships, as “a simply superb
text.” Often utilized as resources by psychologists, therapists, and
health professionals, Regan’s other books are The Mating Game: A
Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage and Lust: What We Know about
Human Desire. Her latest book, Close Relationships, was
published by Routledge in 2011.
A Cal State
L.A. faculty member since 1996, Regan graduated summa cum laude
with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Williams College,
and received her Ph.D. in psychology and Ph.D. minor in statistics from
the University of Minnesota. She resides in Redondo Beach.
Psychological Reports,
established in 1955, is an independent, peer-reviewed, bimonthly journal
which specializes in empirical, theoretical, mainstream, and alternative
views on issues in
psychology.
A summary of
the study can be found here:
http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/21.02.07.PR0.110.3.915-924
office at Cal
State L.A., (323) 343-3050.
arranged marriages rate the same
is published in the latest ‘Psychological Reports’
For more information, contact Dr. Stephanie Isbell, editor, Psychological Reports (Perceptual and Motor Skills), at sai@ammonsscientific.com or (406) 728-1702.
# # #
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