In Episode 44 we are joined by Dr. Ashley Randall and Kai Kline from Arizona State University’s Couples Coping with Stress Lab to talk about relationships and stress. Ashley shares with us how stress impacts our romantic relationships and how our romantic partnerships can help alleviate feelings of stress. We learn how three dimensions of stress, the locus, severity, and acuity, play critical roles in the ability of romantic partnership’s ability to cope with the stress. Kai explains how positive coping behaviours, such as empathy, problem-solving, and delegated coping, lead to increased relationship satisfaction and more displays of affection, like cuddling, hugging, and kissing. How do couples regulate stress in a relationship? What are the differences between positive and negative nonverbal coping behaviours? How do marginalized sexually diverse romantic partnerships cope with stress, and what are the implications for relationship satisfaction? All this and much more in Couples Coping with Stress with Dr. Ashley Randall and Kai Kline!