From birth, human beings need to be embedded into social ties to function best, because other individuals can provide us with a sense of belonging, which is a fundamental human need. One of the closest bonds we build throughout our life is with our intimate partners. When the relationship involves intimacy and when both partners accept and support each other’s needs and goals (through perceived responsiveness) individuals experience an increase in relationship satisfaction as well as physical and mental well-being. However, feeling rejected by a partner may impair the feeling of connectedness and belonging, and affect emotional and behavioural responses. When we perceive our partner to be responsive to our needs or desires, in turn we naturally strive to respond positively and adequately to our partner’s needs and desires. This implies that individuals are interdependent, and changes in one partner prompt changes in the other. Evidence suggests that partners regulate themselves and co-regulate each other in their emotional, psychological, and physiological responses. However, such processes may threaten the relationship when partners face stressful situations or interactions, like the transition to parenthood or rejection. Therefore, in this presentation, I will provide evidence for the role of perceptions of being accepted or rejected by a significant other on individual and relationship functioning, while considering the contextual settings. The three studies presented here explore romantic relationships, and how perceptions of rejection and responsiveness from the partner impact both individuals, their physiological and their emotional responses, as well as their relationship dynamics.

Have you ever wondered what your advisor struggled with as a graduate student? What they struggle with now? Growing up in science is a conversation series featuring personal narratives of becoming and being a scientist, with a focus on the unspoken challenges of a life in science. Growing up in Science was started in 2014 at New York University and is now worldwide. This article describes the origin and impact of the series. At a typical Growing up in Science event, one faculty member shares their life story, with a focus on struggles, failures, doubts, detours, and weaknesses. Common topics include dealing with expectations, impostor syndrome, procrastination, luck, rejection, conflicts with advisors, and work-life balance, life outside academia but these topics are always embedded in the speaker’s broader narrative. Cortex Club is hosting its first Growing up in science event! Join us on Friday the 31st July at 4pm for hearing the unofficial story of Dr André Marques-Smith, computational neuroscientist at CoMind (read his official and unofficial story at https://cortexclub.com/event/growing-up-in-science-oxford/). Details to join the talk will be circulated via the mailing list (to join our mailing list, follow the instructions at https://cortexclub.com/join-us/).