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Affection Exchange Theory is a theory of communication that suggests that affection is a form of communication and the bonds created through affection contribute to procreation and therefore the continued livelihood of the human species. Affection and affectionate behavior, as applied to this area of study, includes verbal or non-verbal message that communicate fondness, a feeling of "liking" someone, or love, for example verbally saying, "I love you," or simply holding hands, hugging, kissing, touching, winking at each other or sharing a compliment. Affection Exchange Theory highlights the benefits of affection, not only for individuals, but for the species as a whole. Affection Exchange Theory is rooted in Darwinism and compares affection to dominant traits that humans want to pass down to their children to ensure genetic survival. Since its initial creation, Affection Exchange Theory has been expanded to address areas of potential criticism and applied to multiple types of relationships.

Background
Affection Exchange Theory was developed in 2001 by Kory Floyd. When this theory was constructed, Floyd was working as a professor at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. Prior to establishing this theory, Floyd had completed years of study regarding affection and communication. Floyd first introduced the concept of Affection Exchange Theory in a conference paper presented to the Western States Communication Association in Coeur d’Alene, ID in February 2001. The paper was titled "Elements of an affection exchange theory: Socioevolutionary paradigm for understanding affectionate communication". The first article officially published in 2001 by Floyd that specifically named and identified Affection Exchange Theory applied the theory to research examining affection between fathers and sons. Floyd has continued to research Affection Exchange Theory and expanded the theory beyond evolutionary motivations. The theory has been applied to multiple studies and modified to include physical and mental benefits to receiving affection as well as the negative effects of affection deprivation.

Theoretical Components
Affection Exchange Theory's core principles can be generalized into five theoretical tenets:


 * 1) Affection is a form of communication. This means that the way in which individuals show affection is not simply an act, but an actual form of communication.
 * 2) Human Affection contributes to the long-term survival of the human race. Floyd argues that affection is a motivating factor for continued procreation of the human race. This is a major tenet in and of itself, but is also reinforced by the other tenets, which explain why affection contributes to reproduction.
 * 3) Showing affection is an indicator that an individual is well-suited for parenthood. According to Floyd, individuals that show affection to their spouses or other members of their family are better suited to be parents.
 * 4) Parents that show affection to their children produce children that will show more affection to their children. Affection Exchange Theory asserts that when children are raised by affectionate parents, they themselves are more likely to produce children that will mirror this behavior in their future children, continuing the cycle.
 * 5) Forms of affection vary by motivation and are encouraged to reoccur in order to continue serving those motivations. By this, Floyd means that motivations can vary. For example, if an individual does not want to have children, they may not show affection to their spouses to demonstrate this behavior. If the affection or lack of affection in a relationship is achieving the goals of the individual, they will continue that behavior.

Affection Exchange Theory at its core is concerned with how affection, as a tool of communication, influences relationships and contributes to the long-term success of the human species. Aside from these core theoretical principles, Affection Exchange Theory has been expanded to include more than evolutionary benefits. These benefits affect people on an individual level, such as decreased stress, increased emotional stability, and higher self-esteem. In 2005, it was determined that the benefits of affection are not only obtained by the receiver of affection, but by the affection giver as well. In addition, Floyd has researched not only the benefits of affection, but the consequences of not receiving enough affection including decreased mental health and increased likelihood to develop personality disorders and even physical side effects such as decreased sleep.

Relation to Darwinism
Affection Exchange Theory is rooted in Darwinism, which indicates that the desire to reproduce and procreate are the most dominant motivators for human beings. Affection Exchange Theory expands on Darwinism by claiming that affection is comparable to dominant traits that would make an individual a better candidate for survival. Affection Exchange Theory also implies that because affection is a trait that indicates reproductive success, parents of individuals that are not likely to have children do not receive the same affection from their fathers, including but not limited to homosexual children. Fathers play a key role in Affection Exchange Theory. While they are responsible for providing affection toward their children that will eventually result in their children producing offspring, they also tend to provide less affection to their own children if they are not interested in having their genes passed on for generations to come.

Applications of Affection Exchange Theory
Much of the work regarding Affection Exchange Theory has been completed by the founding researcher, Kory Floyd, applying the theory to relationships between fathers and sons, spelling out the traits of affectionate individuals, and even examining the consequences of affection deprivation. Other applications include examining affection between grandparents and grandchildren, adult romantic relationships, and siblings and siblings-in law rather than focusing specifically on parent-child relationships.

Affection Exchange Theory has been further expanded to include that the positive affects from affection in romantic relationships are not countered by negative behaviors and transgressions and that while affection is important for survival of the species, it is also a determinant on the satisfaction and investment individuals have in their relationships. According to recent Affection Exchange Theory studies, romantic relational partners may seek partners that are more affectionate than their current partner in order to fulfill their motivations to receive and provide affection to their partner.

Also, Affection Exchange Theory has even been applied to circumstances of excessive affection, which determined that each individual has their own personal threshold for affection, which, when exceeded, can produce negative results.

Critique
The immediate criticism that could arise about Affection Exchange Theory is that since it is rooted in Darwinism, the existence of the theory is dependent on Darwinism being correct as well. If individuals actually do not base their behavior and choices on subconscious motivations to procreate, the idea that affection assists in achieving those goals is useless. By being entirely dependent on another theory, Affection Exchange Theory leaves much room for error.

Another potential criticism is the Affection Exchange Theory does not account for adopted children or step-parents. Since no genetics are involved, would adoptive fathers still have the motivation to be affectionate toward their children? Finally, there are often individuals that did not have affectionate parents that are then affectionate with their children. Since Affection Exchange Theory assumes that affection is an adaptive trait, how are these circumstances explained? There are many questions left unanswered regarding Affection Exchange Theory and future research could examine some of these outlying circumstances to develop an explanation for them.