Sweat May Indicate the Future of a Romance

Study co-authors Ashley Holland, a doctoral student, and psychology professor Glenn Roisman, both of the University of Illinois, gave dating, engaged and married participants a questionnaire about their own and their partners' personalities and the quality of their relationships.

The researchers also measured participants' heart rate and skin conductance -- which measures sweat -- during their interactions. Sweating is a sign that the person is making an effort to control his or her own behavior and becoming agitated in a way that requires self-control.

"Both heart rate and skin conductance have been linked to a host of important outcomes in interpersonal relationships, including the likelihood of divorce," Roisman said in a statement. "It's a problem if you need to inhibit yourself greatly while having a conversation with your partner about the kinds of things that you would ordinarily be talking about and trying to resolve in your daily lives."

However, the researchers found that the way the participants described themselves and their relationships was not strongly linked to how they behaved toward one another.

The study appears in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.