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We all fight from time to time, but it’s how we fight overall that seems to determine if our unions are built to last.
Are you constantly on the defensive when you fight with your significant other? Do you feel contempt for, or constantly criticize your partner? Bad news, if these behaviors sound like a regular fight at your place: psychologists can predict with near perfect accuracy whether or not you’ll be divorcing based on how you fight. And the above mentioned attitudes can spell disaster for your romance if this is you.
When psychologists looked at the different behaviors couples displayed during disagreements, and added in questions about overall relationship satisfaction, they could predict with 93 percent accuracy whether the relationship in question would survive the long haul or not. The data gathered from this study helped the researchers decide that contempt, criticism, stonewalling and defensive behavior could be deemed The Four Horsemen of relationship disaster.
Overall, occasionally feeling contempt for or criticizing your spouse probably won’t lead to divorce, but if your go-to defense is listed above, you might want to reconsider how arguments happen at your house if you are looking to have your relationship last. And that’s the plus in this study: Behaviors are changeable, so if you think you’re regularly knocking your S.O. down, you can fix that and stay on the heathy relationship train.
How do your fights play out with your significant other? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Business Insider; photos via Getty)
