Empathy: The Secret Sauce to a Happy Marriage

[True Classical]

by Julie Hanks, LCSW, for Sharecare

Are you empathetic? Is your partner? It might be the secret to a happier marriage. According to a recent study from Harvard University, being able to accurately read a partner's emotions--and believing that your partner is trying to understand your emotions--is related to couple relationship satisfaction.

Expert Q&A: How can I improve my relationship?

This study highlights certain gender differences that echo dynamics I've seen in my clinical practice and in my 23-year marriage:

1. Women are more satisfied in their relationship if their partner accurately empathized with negative emotions.
2. Men were more satisfied when they could read their partner's positive emotions accurately.
3. Women's ability to read their partner's negative emotions was positively linked to both men's and women's relationship satisfaction.

10 Things Happy Couples Do

The authors suggested that for men, being able to understand and be empathetic to their partner's negative emotions may feel threatening to the relationship, but women don't seem to find negative emotions threatening. Findings suggest that effort, not just accuracy, positively impacts relationships.

Read the rest at:

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/empathy-secret-sauce-happy-marriage-044200327.html

[rob_brown77]

The opposite of empathy is being self-obsessed. Even people who are theoretically capable of empathy, when they are intensely focused on their own needs, blunt that ability in practice.

In other words, focus on the self is bad for relationships. Focusing on the other is good for relationships. I could've written that piece of common sense in two sentences.

The tragedy is that the me me me me orientation I see out there among men and women makes most of them unsuitable for relationships.

[True Classical]

Nonetheless, while simple, the article offers some help with communication hints.

And the continued sales and appearance of books and articles on the topics show interest in improving relationships and relationship skills. It would stand to reason the readers are either in relationships or desiring to be, which is pretty good news, actually.