Polyamorous Individuals' Jealous and Compersive Responses to Their Partner's New Relationship Energy: The Role of Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Empathy

Abstract

This study sought to address the gap in understanding polyamorous individuals' responses to their partner's New Relationship Energy (i.e., the excited giddiness of burgeoning intimate relationships) with another partner. Individuals who reported greater mindfulness were hypothesized to report less jealousy (through better emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and the undoing effect) and greater compersion (through empathy). Polyamorous participants (N = 122) were recruited online and anonymously completed surveys through Qualtrics. Mindfulness was associated with lower jealousy through greater emotion regulation, greater distress tolerance, and, to a lesser extent, the undoing effect. Mindfulness was also associated with greater compersion, but not through empathy. Findings may help researchers and clinicians better understand the range of reactions one might have to a partner's New Relationship Energy with another intimate partner and facilitate the development of interventions for individuals who desire to have a different emotional response.