Trust and the suppression of emotions during sacrifice in close relationships

Previous research has found that some people suppress their emotions when making a sacrifice for their relationship partner—and that this can reduce relationship satisfaction. We suggest that trust in one's partner determines who suppresses their emotions during a sacrifice. We hypothesize that individuals with low, compared to high, trust in their partners will be more likely to suppress their emotions when they sacrifice for their partner—and that this, in turn, will reduce satisfaction with the outcome of sacrifice, and will subsequently affect personal and relational outcomes (e.g., mood and relationship satisfaction, respectively). Romantic couples (N = 130) participated in an experience sampling study that assessed emotional suppression immediately after making a sacrifice for their partner in their daily lives. Results showed that trust negatively related to emotional suppression when making a sacrifice. Moreover, we found that emotional suppression led to lower satisfaction with the outcome of sacrifice, which in turn resulted in a lower relationship satisfaction (and a negative mood). We discuss the importance of trust in emotion regulation in close relationships and engaging in behaviors that prevent (or confront) relationship conflict.