Work and Love Among Emerging Adults: Current Status and Future Directions

The literature on the association between work and love during the young adulthood years is relatively sparse. The articles in this special issue make a substantial contribution to the empirical evidence in this arena. In this commentary, we make several conceptual and methodological recommendations to further research in this area. In particular, we argue that researchers should carefully consider the spacing and timing of assessments and the incorporation of more short-term, intensive assessments. Furthermore, we recommend that the conceptualization of work needs to be broadened to include a focus on career paths. Finally, we suggest a continued focus on using dyadic designs as well as a broadening of relationships to include the way in which casual sexual relationships and experiences affect work and education outcomes.