Professor Reis studies the nature and impact of the relationship context of human behavior. He is broadly interested in the processes that regulate behavior, thought, and affect in close relationships, as well as the impact of these processes on various outcomes, notably including health and psychological well-being. Much of his research is based on daily event recording, in which research participants keep detailed records of their on-going social activity, which are then used to examine interesting questions with precise data. A recent focus of his research has involved the distinction between appetitive and aversive processes -- that is, factors that regulate the pursuit of and participation in positive interactions, as distinguished from those that relate to conflict and other types of negative interactions.
Professor Reis is particularly interested in intimacy, capitalization, and emotion regulation.