MSNBC.com and LiveScience report on the study of relationships by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (Kira Birditt, Lisa Jackey and Toni Antonucci). The conclusion: Marriage–It only gets worse!
MSNBC reports (excerpt):
“As we age and become closer and more comfortable with one another, it could be that we’re more able to express ourselves to each other,” said lead study author Kira Birditt, a research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “In other words, it’s possible that negativity is a normal aspect of close relationships that include a great deal of daily contact.”
Rather than breeding unhappy couples and ill health, the increase in negativity could be a normal part of relationships.