Saying Thank You Improves Your Relationship
It seems like the simplest thing to say, so how can it make such a difference? That’s the thing, it’s so simple that we forget, but saying thank you really can improve your relationship.
A study conducted by Amie Gordon, of the University of California, Berkeley showed that it can improve a couple’s relationship and even prevent them breaking up.
She told LiveScience, “'Feeling appreciated by your partner influences how you act in your relationship, and how much you want to stay in that relationship.”
The study included 50 undergraduates who had been in relationships for around 15 months and had them fill out questionnaires each night for a week.
The questionnaires included questions about how appreciated each participant felt by their partner and how appreciated they had been towards their partner that day.
Nine months later the participants were given another survey which detailed questions about their relationship.
It was found that if a participant had been appreciated by their partner one day, the next day they were more appreciative towards their partner.
Amie Gordon said, “Instead of just waiting for the other person to make you feel good, you can jumpstart that cycle and take it into your own hands by focusing on what's good in your relationship.”
The participants who were more appreciated and appreciative of their partners were also less likely to have broken up nine months later.
Amie said, “What goes wrong in a lot of relationships is if you start to take your partner for granted. You get used to having them in your life and forget why you chose to be with them.
“The punch line is really that being appreciative of your partner is beneficial in helping you want to maintain your relationship.
“When you are appreciative and you notice the value in your partner, it helps you realize what you have and makes you want to hold on to it. You have something good and you think, 'I want to keep it.' You are more responsive, you tend to their needs, and you are more thoughtful.”
Its two words, simple to say and could save your relationship!
Cara Mason
tagged in Love Relationship