Charting a path to greater support through relationship science

Justin Lavner studies how evidence-based interventions can strengthen families and couples and improve everyday well-being. Over the course of his work, Lavner has become a leading voice in relationship science:

“I’ve always been interested in understanding why people are the way they are,” said Lavner, a professor and the director of clinical training in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology. “What eventually fascinated me most was how people relate to other people and what predicts the quality of our closest relationships.”

Especially, he said, relationships with our romantic partners and family members.

Lavner views these relationships as a “shelter from the storm” of everyday life—a place of comfort and support in times of stress. However, they can also be sources of strain and conflict without the proper tools.

Through interdisciplinary research, Lavner’s work addresses some of the biggest issues facing relationships. He studies factors that predict individual and relational well-being and develops interventions—structured, evidence-informed programs—to help people improve their relationships, reduce stress, and enhance well-being. He then studies how those programs change outcomes over time.

“Interventions can be ‘constructed resilience resources’ for families,” he said.

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Image: Justin Lavner (Photo by Lauren Corcino).