Background The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the existing literature on the factors associated with relationship quality among people living with HIV (PLWH).
Method A structured literature search was performed on APA PsycArticles, ProQuest and PubMed for quantitative, peer-reviewed studies published in English between 1994 and March 2025. Fifteen studies (N = 2579; 78% men, predominantly in serodiscordant couples) met the inclusion criteria and contributed 76 effect sizes, which were categorized as either protective or risk factors for relationship quality among PLWH. A three-level meta-analytic model was employed to address the nested data structure.
Results The pooled effect sizes were comparable for protective factors (r = 0.26, 95% CI [0.08, 0.43]) and risk factors (r = 0.24, 95% CI [0.16, 0.31]), reflecting small-to-moderate effects. Significant heterogeneity was observed at the between-study level, whereas within-study variability was negligible. The only significant moderator was relationship length: the association between protective factors and relationship quality was stronger in longer-term PLWH relationships.
Conclusion This review and meta-analysis suggest that, despite the unique context of HIV/AIDS, several correlates of relationship quality may reflect broader patterns observed across populations. The findings improve our understanding of factors associated with psychological well-being among PLWH, particularly given the importance of satisfying romantic relationships for quality of life in this population.
This paper addresses the question of how people determine the value of effortful activity. We apply a motivational framework, according to which value derives from the extent to which actions serve goals. Using this general instrumentality principle, we argue that effort is valued to the extent it contributes to goal progress and is appropriately calibrated. We then discuss how the “calibrated effort is good” principle is qualified by four factors: knowledge about what it takes to achieve a goal, the intrinsic value of effortful activity, the presence of additional goals, and the feasibility of goal attainment. Next, we apply these insights to explain the value of metacognitive effort (fluency), which accompanies the pursuit of epistemic (belief-related) goals. Finally, we distinguish between value and valence, arguing that difficulty can simultaneously (though not always) reduce immediate hedonic experience (valence) while still being valued due to its usefulness to long-term goals. This motivational account integrates research on effort, fluency, and valuation, offering a unified framework for understanding when and why effort is valued.
The embodied simulation approach predicts that restricting facial movements disrupts emotion recognition. Such effects have been reported for facial and whole-body emotional expressions, but findings remain inconsistent, and it is unclear whether they generalize to emotional sounds. Previous work has also shown that restricting mimicry induces a positivity bias in valence ratings, consistent with the facial feedback hypothesis. Here, we tested whether restricting facial mimicry impairs recognition of emotional sounds across four emotion categories in a forced-choice task and whether it affects valence and arousal ratings. Drawing on previous findings indicating that vocal emotional expressions elicit facial mimicry, whereas instrumental emotional sounds do not, we expected to find an effect only for the former. Instrumental sounds were recognized less accurately and more slowly than vocalizations, particularly for negative and neutral expressions. Crucially, both frequentist and Bayesian analyses provided no evidence that the pen-in-mouth manipulation impaired emotion recognition or influenced valence or arousal ratings. Taken together, these findings underscore the need for further studies to systematically determine the conditions under which restricting emotional mimicry influences emotion processing, as well as the nature of such effects.
Emotional stimuli – such as facial expressions, images, or text – can influence behavior, including important decisions. This influence is complex as these stimuli may engage multiple psychological and physiological processes. The processes encompass (i) perception, attention, and memory, (ii) motor patterns, (iii) central and peripheral circuitry, (iv) subjective feelings, and (v) inferences regarding the stimulus’ meaning. All these processes can shape subsequent behavior. For example, a smile may communicate permission and encouragement to explore. A smile may also lift one’s conscious mood, which, in turn, may serve as a basis for more favorable judgments. However, other mechanisms can operate without involving conscious feelings. In fact, in some studies on facial expressions, researchers observe shifts in attention, perception, and memory, changes in physiology (e.g., amygdala activation, sweating, respiration, heart rate) and behavior (e.g., approach, consumption, risky decisions), without participants reporting any feelings. In other studies, observed changes in behavior are causally unrelated to changes in feelings. In this article, we propose a framework distinguishing informational, feeling-based, and unconscious affective pathways of affective influence. We illustrate our framework with key studies, focusing on the variety of influences by facial expressions.
Dataset contains data on the relationship between omega-3 fatty rich foods and omega-3 acid intake (ALA, EPA, DHA) and mental health (mood, perceived stress) and cognitive functioning (recognition and short-term memory) in healthy adults. The data controller was SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland. Questionnaire data were collected and exported via the Qualtrics platform; the computerized cognitive tasks were administered through Pavlovia.
Summary of participant characteristics and descriptive statistics: respondents - 313; variables - 206; sex - 274 women, 39 men; age: 20–90 years (mean = 40.30).
Study phases: 52 participants completed the second, in-person phase, which added a cognitive screening (MMSE) and an in-depth, in-person dietary interview; the remaining 261 participated in the online Phase 1 only.
Two files are provided: the dataset (.xlsx) and a codebook (.xlsx) listing each variable's name, label, type, valid/missing counts, and range or value coding.
