Should Couples Use Positive Emotions to Avoid Relationship Dissatisfaction? Research Suggests That A Happy Marriage Involves How We Respond to Our Partner’s Good News
A recent study claims that the key to a happy marriage may be simpler than we think. According to Raluca Petrican, R. Shayna Rosenbaum and Cheryl Grady of the Rotman Research Institute, a happy marriage is comprised of partners who are especially sensitive to their spouse’s positive news and experiences.
It is well established that being there for our partner in their time of need is an important part of a healthy relationship. However, this research seems to indicate that overall relationship satisfaction depends just as much on how our partner reacts to good information that we share.
In their research, Petrican and her colleagues studied 14 women with an average age of 72, who had been married an average of 40 years. To read their full report, click here. These women all completed a marriage questionnaire and then were asked to watch silent, 10 second videos while having their brains scanned. These videos either depicted their spouse or a stranger displaying an emotion that did not “match” with the one sentence description of the … Read More... “Happy Marriage Must Include Positive Emotions”