Consistent with our predictions, Study 1 provided evidence that perceived relationship quality, i.e. satisfaction and commitment, can be influenced by asking people to engage in a cognitive downward comparison process, and to evaluate themselves or their intimate partner in comparative terms. That is, following the downward comparison thought-generating task, participants displayed more relationship satisfaction and stronger feelings of commitment to the relationship than participants assigned to the no-comparison thought-generating task.

Moreover, the effects of the downward comparison manipulation on the unobtrusive measures of response latencies underscore the strength of these findings, as participants in the downward comparison conditions not only evaluated their relationship more positively than those in the no-comparison conditions, but also needed shorter response times to answer the questionnaires on relationship satisfaction and commitment to the relationship.

Also, additional analyses were performed to rule out two potential confounds, i.e. the possibility that the number of qualities generated differed between the comparison and no-comparison conditions, and that the qualities generated in both conditions differed in valence, and as a consequence, that the differential number or valence of the listed qualities would account for the demonstrated effects of cognitive downward comparison on the perceived quality of the relationship.

The analyses provided convincing evidence that these explanations could not account for the results. The number of the qualities generated did not differ between both conditions, and controlling for the number of qualities left the effects virtually unchanged. Moreover, the positivity of the qualities did not differ between the two conditions according to the participants and independent judges, and the effects stayed the same when controlling for the positivity of the qualities. These analyses contribute to the validity of the experimental manipulation.

The manipulation of target (self versus partner) did not have differential effects on satisfaction and commitment to the relationship. This may reflect the fact that participants in the current studies are in an interdependent relationship in which their outcomes are strongly related, which may link their recollections about themselves and their partners with each other. Indeed, Aron and their colleagues (cf. Aron & Aron, 1996; Aron, Aron, & Smolan, 1992; Aron, Aron, Tudor & Nelson, 1991; see also Agnew, Van Lange, Rusbult & Langston, 1998) demonstrated that among close partners the cognitive representations of the self and the partner are closely interconnected, and are even perceived as overlapping.