ScienceDaily: Power of 'thank you' for couples

“Individuals in the sample with higher levels of expressed and perceived gratitude were more satisfied with their relationship, the team found. These individuals had greater confidence in its future and reported less instability, such as discussions or thoughts about breaking up.

When the team looked at protective effects, they found that higher levels of perceived gratitude buffered against the stresses of both financial strain and ineffective arguing, and these couples "did not exhibit as strong of declines in relationship satisfaction or confidence, or the increases in instability that we typically see" with these types of stressors, Barton said.

"Even if the couple's negative communication increased -- provided they still felt appreciated by their partner -- their relationship quality did not decline as much over time," he said. "That becomes really important because not every couple is going to be great at communication, particularly when things get heated or intense, or hit a home run with resolving conflicts."

The protective effect of perceived gratitude applied both in the moment -- when the respondent felt appreciated by their partner -- and across time, Barton said."

Some Insights From This Article

• The power of “thank you!” is often understated as we often hear it in our daily lives, but for some people if they think about it, how often do we use thank you towards our significant others or just even with our family and close ones in general? This study showed that expressions of gratitude can increase relationship satisfaction over periods of time.

• Even if negative communication increased, provided that appreciation was being expressed and said, the relationship quality did not decline as much overtime. Expressing thank you is a simple but surefire way of expressing gratitude and showing your partner you appreciate what they did for you.

• Not covered in this article, but this same concept applies to apologies as well. Oftentimes a lot of people don’t normally express their wrongdoing and apologies to the other party. This can lead to conflict and also lower relationship quality as well.

What are ways you show appreciation?

Full article is here!

#Gratitude #Appreciation #Relationships