Be Mine: Attachment avoidance predicts perceptions of relationship functioning on Valentine's Day

Many cultures designate specific holidays to celebrate love and affection, such as Valentine's Day in Western culture. Intuition would suggest that holidays like Valentine's Day would enhance perceptions of romantic relationships for most people. However, few empirical studies have examined how relationship evaluations vary when assessed on such holidays. We found that reminders of relationships on Valentine's Day enhanced perceptions of relationship functioning. However, we found that individuals' attachment orientation moderated these responses: when relationships were made accessible on Valentine's Day (versus a control day), higher levels of satisfaction and investment were reported only by individuals lower in attachment avoidance. Together, the current findings suggest Valentine's Day enhances relationships; however, this enhancement is especially likely when individuals are thinking of their partner and have a disposition towards depending on romantic partners.