Two Decades of Affection Exchange Theory: A State-of-the-Art Review

Since its formal explication in 2001, affection exchange theory (AET) has been the principal theoretic force behind research on affectionate communication. After presenting a brief history of the theory, the present paper offers a state-of-the-art review of published and unpublished empirical work testing AET’s claims. The review identified a total of 135 empirical projects conducted between 2001 and 2024 involving a combined total of 54,784 human participants. Themes and characteristics of the empirical work are identified, the evidentiary basis for the theory is adjudicated, and then a theoretic critique focused on strengths and shortcomings is offered.