What Drives Romantic Commitment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Investment Model Variables
Abstract
Long-term affective bonds are associated with several benefits, with commitment being a key indicator of relationship quality. According to the Investment Model of Relationships, the main factors influencing commitment are satisfaction, investment, and availability of alternatives. Although widely studied, these constructs lack recent systematic syntheses. This study conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis, following PRISMA guidelines, to assess the association between these three factors and romantic commitment. Sixteen articles published between 2016 and 2020 were analyzed, selected from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycInfo databases, with a combined total of 10,644 participants. Results showed that satisfaction had the strongest association with commitment (r = 0.66), followed by investment (r = 0.51) and alternatives (r = –0.41). These findings support the continued validity of the Investment Model, even in light of the psychosocial changes that have shaped romantic relationships in recent decades.
Keywords
Satisfaction, Interpersonal relationships, Systematic review, Clinical psychologyReferences
Agnew, Christopher. (2009). Commitment, theories and typologies. In Harry Reis, & Susan Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human relationships (pp. 245–248). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412958479.n83
Andrade, Alexandro, & Egert, Caroline. (2018). Romantic conflict resolution strategies: Measurement development and prediction. Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia, 18(3), 850–872. http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1808-42812018000300008&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en
Arriaga, Ximena, & Agnew, Christopher. (2001). Being committed: Affective, cognitive, and conative components of relationship commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(9), 1190–1203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167201279011
Barrantes, Renzo; Eaton, Asia; Veldhuis, Cindy, & Hughes, Tonda. (2017). The role of minority stressors in lesbian relationship commitment and persistence over time. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 4(2), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000221
Becker, Julia; Hartwich, Lea, & Haslam, Alexander. (2021). Neoliberalism can reduce well-being by promoting a sense of social disconnection, competition, and loneliness. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(3), 947–965. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12438
Bokek-Cohen, Ya’arit, & Halamish-Leshem, Riki. (2024). Does it pay to invest in your couple relationship? Family Relations, 73(2), 1235–1247. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12941
Coy, Anthony; Davis, Jody; Green, Jeffrey, & Etcheverry, Paul. (2019). A dyadic model of investments: Partner effects on commitment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(11–12), 3471–3491. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518822783
Davis, Bret, & Weigel, Daniel. (2020). Cognitive interdependence and the everyday expression of commitment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(3), 1008–1029. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519884640
Dindia, Kathryn. (2000). Relational maintenance. In Clyde Hendrick, & Susan S. Hendrick (Eds.), Close relationships: A Sourcebook (pp. 287–299). SAGE.
Eastwick, Paul, & Joel, Samantha. (2025). How do people feel about mates? Annual Review of Psychology, 76(1), 385–412. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-012224-025712
Etcheverry, Paul, & Agnew, Christopher. (2004). Subjective norms and the prediction of romantic relationship state and fate. Personal Relationships, 11(4), 409–428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00090.x
Feijão, Georgia, & Morais, Normanda. (2018). Interação família e trabalho: A percepção de docentes do ensino superior acerca da satisfação conjugal. Contextos Clínicos, 11(1), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.4013/ctc.2018.111.07
Fowers, Blaine, & Olson, David. (1993). ENRICH marital satisfaction scale: A brief research and clinical tool. Journal of Family Psychology, 7(2), 176–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.7.2.176
Hadden, Benjamin; Harvey, Marie; Settersten, Richard, & Agnew, Christopher. (2019). What do I call us? The investment model of commitment processes and changes in relationship categorization. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10(2), 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617745115
Hare, Paul; Thibaut, John, & Kelley, Harold. (1959). The social psychology of groups. American Sociological Review, 25(4), 590–591. https://doi.org/10.2307/2092954
Joel, Samantha; Impett, Emily; Spielmann, Stephanie, & MacDonald, Geoff. (2018). How interdependent are stay/leave decisions? On staying in the relationship for the sake of the romantic partner. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(5), 805–824. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000139
Joel, Samantha, & Machia, Laura. (2024). How do invested partners become invested? A prospective investigation of fledgling relationship development. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 51(9), 1689–1702. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231224351
Johnson, Michael; Caughlin, John, & Huston, Ted. (1999). The tripartite nature of marital commitment: Personal, moral, and structural reasons to stay married. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61(1), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.2307/353891
Krishnakumar, Ambika, & Buehler, Cheryl. (2000). Interparental conflict and parenting behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Family Relations, 49(1), 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00025.x
Lane, Brianna; Piercy, Cameron, & Carr, Caleb. (2016). Making it Facebook official: The warranting value of online relationship status disclosures on relational characteristics. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.016
Le, Benjamin, & Agnew, Christopher. (2003). Commitment and its theorized determinants: A meta–analysis of the Investment Model. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 37–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00035
Lemay, Edward. (2016). The forecast model of relationship commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(1), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000052
Levinger, George. (1979). Marital cohesiveness at the brink: The fate of applications for divorce. In George Levinger, & Oliver C. Moles (Eds.), Divorce and separation (pp. 137–150). Basic Books.
Moher, David; Liberati, Alessandro; Tetzlaff, Jennifer, & Altman, Douglas. (2010). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. International Journal of Surgery, 8(5), 336–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2010.02.007
Nascimento, Geysa, & Scorsolini-Comin, Fabio. (2019). Significados atribuídos ao relacionamento amoroso estável em jovens homossexuais do sexo masculino. Contextos Clínicos, 12(1), 48–74. https://doi.org/10.4013/ctc.2019.121.03
Nourani, Shahla; Seraj, Fatemeh; Shakeri, Mohammad, & Mokhber, Naghmeh. (2019). The relationship between gender-role beliefs, household labor division and marital satisfaction in couples. Journal of Holistic Nursing and Midwifery, 29(1), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.29252/hnmj.29.1.301
Pfund, Gabrielle; Brazeau, Hannah; Allemand, Mathias, & Hill, Patrick. (2020). Associations between sense of purpose and romantic relationship quality in adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(5), 1563–1580. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520903807
Pietromonaco, Paula, & Overall, Nickola. (2021). Applying relationship science to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact couples’ relationships. American Psychologist, 76(3), 438–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000714
Platt, Lisa. (2020). An exploratory study of predictors of relationship commitment for cisgender female partners of transgender individuals. Family Process, 59(1), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12400
Reeder, Heidi, & Hart, Eva. (2019). Interdependence in dating and cohabiting relationships: The role of cognitive interdependence, commitment, and marital intent. Marriage & Family Review, 55(2), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2018.1458008
Rodrigues, David; Huic, Aleksandra, & Lopes, Diniz. (2018). Relationship commitment of Portuguese lesbian and gay individuals: Examining the role of cohabitation and perceived social support. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(9), 2738–2758. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518798051
Rodrigues, David, & Lopes, Diniz. (2013). The investment model scale (IMS): Further studies on construct validation and development of a shorter version (IMS-S). The Journal of General Psychology, 140(1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2012.710276
Rodrigues, David; Lopes, Diniz; Monteiro, Lígia, & Prada, Marília. (2016). Perceived parent and friend support for romantic relationships in emerging adults. Personal Relationships, 24(1), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12163
Rosado, Juliana, & Wagner, Adriana. (2015). Qualidade, ajustamento e satisfação conjugal: Revis ão sistemática da literatura. Pensando Famílias, 19(2), 21–33. http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/penf/v19n2/v19n2a03.pdf
Rusbult, Caryl. (1980). Satisfaction and commitment in friendships. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 11, 96–105. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1983-03399-001
Rusbult, Caryl. (1983). A longitudinal test of the investment model: The development (and deterioration) of satisfaction and commitment in heterosexual involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(1), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.1.101
Rusbult, Caryl; Martz, John, & Agnew, Christopher. (1998). The Investment Model Scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5(4), 357–387. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1998.tb00177.x
Rusbult, Caryl, & Van Lange, Paul. (1996). Interdependence processes. In Edward T. Higgins, & Arie W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles (pp. 564–596). The Guilford Press.
Segal, Noam, & Fraley, Chris. (2016). Broadening the investment model: An intensive longitudinal study on attachment and perceived partner responsiveness in commitment dynamics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33(5), 581–599. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407515584493
Sharabi, Liesel, & Timmermans, Elisabeth. (2020). Why settle when there are plenty of fish in the sea? Rusbult’s investment model applied to online dating. New Media & Society, 23(10), 2926–2946. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820937660
Stanley, Scott, & Markman, Howard. (2020). Helping couples in the shadow of COVID-19. Family Process, 59(3), 967–973. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12575
Surra, Catherine, & Hughes, Debra. (1997). Commitment processes in accounts of the development of premarital relationships. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/353658
Tan, Kenneth, & Agnew, Christopher. (2016). Ease of retrieval effects on relationship commitment: The role of future plans. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 42(2), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167215617201
Tran, Peter; Judge, Madeline, & Kashima, Yoshihisa. (2019). Commitment in relationships: An updated meta-analysis of the Investment Model. Personal Relationships, 26(1), 158–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12268
Vannier, Sarah, & O’Sullivan, Lucia. (2018). Great expectations: Examining unmet romantic expectations and dating relationship outcomes using an investment model framework. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 35(8), 1045–1066. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517703492
Yuan, Shu, & Weiser, Dana. (2019). Relationship dissolution following marital infidelity: Comparing European Americans and Asian Americans. Marriage & Family Review, 55(7), 631–650. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2019.1589614
Published
How to Cite
Downloads
Copyright (c) 2026 Iara Teixeira, Felipe Alckmin-Carvalho, Guilherme Welter Wendt, Sandra Elisa de Assis Freire

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.