The preceding chapters have examined multiple aspects of the expression and exchange of affectionate communication in human interaction. Several theoretic treatments of affectionate behavior have been described and critiqued, and a large body of empirical findings has been synthesized around several fundamental questions concerning why, how, to whom, and with what effects people convey affection to each other. The body of research on affectionate communication is indeed eclectic in terms of its focus, its methodology, and its theoretic underpinnings. Although eclecticism serves the purposes of ensuring that diverse ideas are considered and that observed patterns are not conceptually or operationally bound, it can have the additional effect of making the literature appear not to support any general conclusions.

Such is not the case with affectionate communication, however. To bring this volume to a close, I have elected to identify and discuss what I believe are the most important observations about affectionate communication that have found support in the empirical literature. Although some of these conclusions are relatively intuitive, others are not; the fact that the body of research supports both types of conclusion is, I believe, testament to the provocative and often paradoxical nature of human affectionate communication.