Ashley Marie Rankin

In work published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, I explore the physiological underpinnings of venting, or co-rumination.

In ongoing work, I am exploring the welfare trade-offs toward those being discussed and who you're venting with. Other work is exploring how the degree of venting within the friendship effects cortisol and progesterone synchrony.

Two hormones known to be involved in the stress response and affiliative behaviors are cortisol and progesterone. The goal of this project is to examine if higher levels of hormonal synchronization in cortisol and progesterone between friends is associated with friendship quality and co-rumination.

I employ a budget allocation paradigm to examine how individuals prioritize different types of relationships (close friends, romantic partners, etc.) across different social contexts. Current studies are examining necessities and luxuries of social relationships.