Many studies show that sexual attraction in long-term relationships decreases over time. Is this decline inevitable? Are we doomed to be not as into our partners as we were in the honeymoon period? Can we get too close to our partners?

APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum interviews relationship expert Amy Muise from York University to answer these questions. Muise’s recently published work in APS’s journal Current Directions in Psychological Science addresses when and how closeness with our partners forms and declines over time. Muise shares a new development in relationship research on how to maintain desire in relationships. Together, Fischer Baum and Muise discuss the importance of cultivating an individual identity alongside intimacy within a relationship to sustain attraction over time.

If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.

Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.

Children absorb much from their environments. Although the impact of parental conflicts and fights on children has been greatly studied, the impact of positivity has yet to fully be explored.

In this episode, Under the Cortex features Brian Don from the University of Auckland who recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.

APS’s Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum chats with Don about his new theory, the Interparental Positivity Spillover Theory. Don shares his thoughts on how this theory suggests that when kids witness their parents engaging in warm and positive interactions, it could have a positive effect on the children themselves.

If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.

Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.

Anxiety is common in children. What methods effectively alleviate their anxiety? How do parents influence the treatment process? Can parents positively affect the treatment outcomes?

In this episode, Under the Cortex features Wendy K. Silverman from Yale University School of Medicine and Jeremy W. Pettit from Florida International University who have recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Clinical Psychological Science.

Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum starts the conversation with the history of anxiety and therapy in children. Silverman highlights how our current understanding and approach to the mental well-being of children have changed over the decades. As one of the leading researchers in the field, she explains how she established her research program from scratch and emphasizes the role of parental involvement in children’s therapy process.

If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.

Do you have questions and suggestions for us? Please reach us at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org