Same-Emotion Synchrony During Laboratory-Based Intimate Partner Aggression

The moment-to-moment coupling of partners’ facial expressions (i.e., synchrony) is a core channel of nonverbal coordination, yet it has rarely been measured during overt conflict. Using recorded facial expressions during a laboratory-based intimate partner aggression task, I estimated trial-level, same-emotion expressive synchrony, decomposed from between-dyad similarity, for 51 dyads (N = 102 participants). Confirmatory analyses focused on emotional synchrony for anger, disgust, and happiness and tested whether a forced-break manipulation moderated synchrony. Happiness synchrony was robust. Anger synchrony was not detected. Disgust synchrony was not reliably distinguished from zero, though statistical power was limited. Contrary to the preregistered hypotheses, condition moderated only happiness synchrony, and in the opposite direction to what was anticipated. Positive coupling was stronger in the forced-break condition than the immediate-response condition, rather than remaining stable. Structured pauses during conflict may afford partners an opportunity to coordinate positive affect rather than serving only to interrupt negative affect. Altogether, partners’ positive emotional expressions during a laboratory-based intimate partner aggression task couple, and this coupling is sensitive to the structure of the interaction.