Gain Spirals in Couples: Empathy, Attachment Behaviors and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life and strained couple relationships, requiring adaptation to widespread resource loss. Empathy, particularly cognitive empathy, plays a vital role in social support during stress and may help foster adaptive relationship behaviors. This study was designed to explore whether a self-sustaining gain spiral-a theoretical process wherein resources reinforce one another described in the Conservation of Resources Theory-could be observed between cognitive empathy and attachment behaviors over time. We surveyed 535 cisgender heterosexual couples in April 2020 and again in July (N = 363) and October (N = 239), assessing self-reported resource loss, empathy, and attachment behaviors. Findings revealed a gain spiral: cognitive empathy and attachment behaviors showed positive bidirectional associations over time within individuals. Within individuals, higher levels of attachment behaviors in July predicted lower resource loss in October. Surprisingly, higher empathy in July predicted greater loss in October. Additionally, higher levels of attachment behaviors in April indirectly predicted lower resource loss in October. Finally, empathy in April predicted greater attachment behaviors in July across partners. These results underscore the potential for positive relational dynamics even amid collective stress. Interventions that strengthen empathy and attachment behaviors may help couples better cope with adversity by reinforcing mutually supportive patterns.