Why do we remain in romantic relationships that leave us unhappy and unfulfilled? The answer in two new studies co-authored by a University of Toronto researcher might surprise you.
Research published in the November issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people are less likely to initiate a breakup when they believe that their romantic partnersare dependent on the relationship. Participants in the studies, even people who had been close to breaking up, were motivated to remain in unsatisfying situations because they considered not only their own desires but also how much their partners wanted and needed the relationship to continue.
"People stay in relationships for the sake of their partners, even if they feel unappreciated by them," says Emily Impett, an associate professor of psychology and director of the Relationship and Well-Being (RAW) Laboratory at U of T Mississauga. She says that there are "self-focused" reasons why people choose to remain in a relationship ā because of the time, resources and emotions they've invested in it, or because they don't have good alternatives ā but the research shows they also make "pro-social" altruistic decisions to stay because they feel their mates are committed.
[For more on this study by University of Toronto, go to https://medicalxpress.com/news...y-relationships.html]
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