Feeling good to feeling satisfied: The mediating role of perceived partner responsiveness

Affective states and how people see their partner’s responsiveness are important for understanding relationship quality, but these processes are not well studied in non-Western settings. Drawing on the affect-as-information framework and theories of perceived partner responsiveness, this study tested whether responsiveness helps explain the link between daily affect and marital satisfaction. Data came from 203 heterosexual married couples in Sikkim, India. Using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model with mediation, we examined positive and negative affect as simultaneous predictors of perceived partner responsiveness and marital satisfaction. Positive affect was linked to greater marital satisfaction through one’s own perception of partner responsiveness. Negative affect also showed an asymmetrical pattern, with only one partner’s negative affect predicting lower marital satisfaction for both spouses, partly through reduced responsiveness. Partner-mediated indirect effects were minimal. These findings highlight the role of everyday affect and perceived responsiveness in shaping marital satisfaction in cultural contexts that are less often studied.