Study: These factors help in a happy relationship

love life
New study: These factors ensure a happy relationship

Highs and lows are part of a relationship – but in some the lows last shorter than in others. This may be due to the fact that the lovers adopt certain factors in the management of the relationship. For some this may have been an unconscious process, others learned it step by step. Because: Working on a relationship is known to be one of the most important measures for a healthy and happy relationship. But what does that include?

Study: This is particularly important for a long-lasting relationship

One US study examined which behavior could be particularly important in relationships. The researchers surveyed 192 heterosexual married couples. On average, they were married for around 14 years. Some had been married for a year, others for up to 40 years.“Relationship maintenance is usually studied at the individual level. But two partners work together to maintain the relationship,” explains Yifan Hu, one of the study’s authors. “Each person contributes and also notices the efforts of their partner. We wanted to examine both individual and interactive (or couple) relationship processes“.

In order to better assess relationship maintenance, the following five factors were examined in more detail:

Each partner filled out a questionnaire independently. In it, they described their own relationship maintenance behavior in the previous two weeks – and how they perceived their partner’s behavior. Satisfaction with the relationship and devotion or self-commitment were also asked.

This quality makes for a better relationship

The happier the respondents were, the better they rated their partner’s behavior. In general, maintaining relationships and satisfaction led to more commitment. The results also showed a positive relationship between commitment and husbands’ relationship maintenance. An unexpected result was that people’s similar relationship maintenance behavior was negatively correlated with wives’ commitment. According to various studies, a certain similarity (for example in interests) is an advantage – but according to these results, this may not be the case when it comes to maintaining relationships. “One possible explanation for this could be that partners who are too similar in their approaches have a smaller repertoire of coping behaviors,” says Yifan Hu. It may be necessary, for example, for one person to rely on positivity in crisis situations and the other on social networks to receive new inspiration. “You can try to make sure that they have more skills for maintaining relationships”, continued Hu. However, further research is necessary to better assess this.

Sources used: aces.illinois.edu, neurosciencenews.com, apa.org

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