No relationship is perfect and it’s completely normal for a couple to encounter some obstacles throughout their journey together. Dealing with those obstacles and learning how to cope with them can even make the relationship stronger. However, people sometimes go too far and start worrying about future problems that didn’t even show themselves yet.
Here’s how fearing for the future could damage your relationship.
The Keys to a Stable Relationship
We all know that love is a foundation upon which lies the security and success of a healthy relationship. However, just being in love is rarely enough. A stable relationship requires constant work and honesty among many other things to stay that way. Failing to stay true to your partner or not spending enough time together in relationship-building activities usually results in the relationship deteriorating.
A study from the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy shows that once we start thinking about the risk of breaking up, our feelings for our partner start weakening.
The Study Construction
The researchers learned this by priming their subjects with unsettling thoughts about their relationships. They presented the subjects with discouraging statistics about breakups and provided them with similar, negative information about relationships. The participants were then asked how they feel about their partners.
Compared to the group that wasn’t presented with the discouraging stats, the first group showed less intense feelings and weaker commitment to their partners.
The Bottom Line
Although this study is by no means very conclusive, we can say that fearing for the future could damage your relationship. So, instead of overthinking and feeling afraid of being cheated or betrayed, try to enjoy the moment and focus on the positive.
