ABSTRACT
Understanding the communication problems of couples in distressed marriages has been a major focus of research over the last decade (Noller & Fitzpatrick, 1990). The study of nonverbal communication in marriage has proved to be a very important part of that focus. Early studies showed that husbands and wives in distressed marriages were less likely to understand one another’s nonverbal messages than those in happier relationships (Kahn, 1970) and that the nonverbal behavior of the spouses was more likely than their verbal behavior to discriminate between distressed and nondistressed couples (Gottman, Markman, & Notarius, 1977). Such findings raised two interesting issues that have since been explored further: (a) the issue of accuracy or misunderstandings in marriage, and (b) the role of nonverbal communication as an indicator of the affective climate in close relationships and its importance in situations where spouses are discussing current marital problems.
