Simplifying Relationship Science: Evaluating the Other in Self (OIS) Scale

At HINT, we're also interested in how relationships impact wellbeing and health outcomes. But quantifying something as complex as relationship closeness can be difficult. We all have intuitions about whether our relationships with friends, family members, coworkers, and romantic partners feel close or distant. However, psychology researchers have developed more objective tools to measure perceived closeness in relationships.

In a new comprehensive study published in PLOS One, researchers evaluated a simple pictorial scale called the Inclusion of Other in Self (OIS) as an efficient way to measure relationship closeness. We’ll summarize the research and discuss its relevance for understanding social relationships and health.

In three studies with a total of 772 diverse adult participants, the researchers compared IOS scores to longer established questionnaires for…