How will I feel in one year about this current conflict in my relationship?
That is the first question that makes people feel better about their relationship conflicts. After asking this question, people feel more positive about their relationship, research reveals.
Taking up a future perspective like this causes people to interpret their relationship in a more positive light. When people think about their future together, they tend to be more forgiving about current conflicts.
When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. By envisioning their relationship in the future, people can shift the focus away from their current feelings and mitigate conflicts.
People who imagine themselves in the future felt more positive about their relationships. A future orientation encouraged people to be more forgiving to their partner and also blame them less.
Adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being.
A second simple question that can improve relationships is asking “How are you feeling?”
This is because couples are often poor at knowing when their partner is sad, lonely or a little down. Instead, couples tend to assume their partner feels the same way as they do. Asking How are you feeling? and working on ’empathic accuracy’ could improve the relationship.