{"id":68248,"date":"2022-10-14T07:57:12","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T12:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=68248"},"modified":"2024-04-06T06:13:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T06:13:08","slug":"life-stress-can-make-your-partner-seem-more-annoying","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/life-stress-can-make-your-partner-seem-more-annoying\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Stress Can Make Your Partner Seem More Annoying"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When feeling stressed, people are more likely to focus on their romantic partner\u2019s negative behaviors rather than their positive behaviors, according to a\u00a0new study<\/u><\/a> published in\u00a0Social Psychological and Personality Science<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nPrevious studies have shown that stressful life circumstances can affect how couples interact and influence their individual behaviors. But this study suggests that stress can also affect what people notice in the first place, such as their partner being annoying, impatient, or critical.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe found that individuals who reported experiencing more stressful life events outside of their relationship, such as problems at work, were especially likely to notice if their partner behaved in an inconsiderate manner,\u201d Lisa Neff, PhD, the lead study author and an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, said\u00a0in a statement<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nNeff and colleagues did a daily diary study with 79 heterosexual newlywed couples to understand what they went through. The couples completed a short survey each night for 10 days, where they documented both their own and their partner\u2019s behavior. Before the study, they also completed a questionnaire about the stressful events in their life.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

\nThe research team found that those who recently had more stressful life events were particularly attuned to the day-to-day changes in their partner\u2019s negative behaviors \u2013 but not their partner\u2019s positive behaviors. They also generally perceived their partner as \u00a0causing more negativity across the 10 days, as compared with those who had fewer stressful events.<\/p>\n

\nStudying newlyweds highlights the significance of the results, Neff said, because couples are more likely to focus on positive behavior and ignore negative behavior during the \u201choneymoon\u201d period of their marriage.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOne direction would be to examine if the harmful effects of stress might be even stronger among couples no longer in the newlywed phase of their relationships,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the fact that we found these effects in a sample of newlyweds speaks to how impactful the effects of stress can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nImportantly, a single stressful day didn\u2019t appear to cause partners to focus on their significant other\u2019s negative behavior, the researchers found. Instead, a longer accumulation of stressful life circumstances often caused a shift in focus.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

\n\u201cFor many people, the past few years have been difficult, and the stress of the pandemic continues to linger,\u201d Neff said. \u201cIf stress focuses individuals\u2019 attention toward their partner\u2019s more inconsiderate behaviors, this is likely to take a toll on the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nMore research could investigate whether it\u2019s possible for couples to correct this behavior if they\u2019re aware of the effects of stress in their lives, she said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/section>\n

SOURCES:<\/p>\n

Social Psychological and Personality Science<\/i>: \u201cWhen Rose-Colored Glasses Turn Cloudy: Stressful Life Circumstances and Perceptions of Partner Behavior in Newlywed Marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nSociety for Personality and Social Psychology: \u201cLife\u2019s Stresses Can Make People Focus More on Their Romantic Partner\u2019s Negative Behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Original post-WebMD<\/a><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Carolyn Crist<\/p>\n

Photo by Timur Weber<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When feeling stressed, people are more likely to focus on their romantic partner\u2019s negative behaviors rather than their positive behaviors, according to a\u00a0new study published in\u00a0Social Psychological and Personality Science. 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