The “honeymoon” phase is the most exciting stage in marriage, but once it is over, relationships tend to be tested, which brings the worst in couples. According to a new study, stress can make loving spouses concentrate more on their partner’s annoying habits.
According to experts, women and men in heterosexual relationships become more judgmental of their partner’s poor behaviour due to chronic stress. A partner violating a commitment, acting angry or impatient, or insulting their partner are just a few examples of these unpleasant behaviours. Generally, the team is of the opinion that stress affects the actions that people are focusing on in others.
Lead author Lisa Neff of the University of Texas, Austin, said that they found that individuals reportedly experiencing stressful events outside their relationship, like work problems, were more likely to notice when their partner’s behaviour changed.
Neff and her co-author Eckerd College’s April Buck, polled around 79 newlyweds. Each couple was given a brief questionnaire to complete every night for ten days. Also, the couples kept records of their interactions during that period. In addition, all participants completed a survey evaluating daily stressors and analyzing distressing happenings in their lives prior to completing the questionnaire every evening.
Regarding relationship studies, Dr Neff says that newlywed couples are important since they focus mostly on each other’s positive habits and attributes during the honeymoon period. However, in the recent past, times have not been nice for most people as the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger on. Stress leading an individual to focus more on their partner’s inconsiderate behaviours is likely to affect relationships.
According to findings, a stressful day may not lead to couples nit-picking their spouse’s bad habits. Nevertheless, the build-up of long-term stress in someone’s life leads them to focus on their partner’s inconsiderate behaviours. Interestingly, couples under stress can still notice their partner’s positive habits and behaviours.