title: Your love lifts me higher! The energizing quality of secure relationships.
abstract: Three studies tested and confirmed the hypothesis that secure attachment relationships lead to feelings of security and energy, as well as willingness to explore. In Study 1, priming a secure attachment relationship increased felt security and energy. In Studies 2 and 3, felt energy mediated the effect of (primed) secure attachment relationships on willingness to explore. In Study 3, the effect of (primed) secure attachment relationships on felt energy and willingness to explore was independent of general positive affect. Secure attachments energize partners, thus enabling exploration.
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, Southampton Management School, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. maluke@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michelle Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Luke
authors.forename: Constantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sedikides
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carnelley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult