Similar texting habits make for a happier relationship

It may sound very ‘millenial’ to say this, but sharing a good texting rhythm with your partner can make for a happier relationship.

If you text ‘I love you’ and they reply, ‘What’s for dinner?’, for example, the rhythm would clearly be jarred – with you left wondering whether they received your text, or were ignoring your expression of affection – and why would they be ignoring it? Cue, overthinking your relationship and obsessing over the reasons behind said text.

You may happily overlook the occasional blunt text response – they could be in the middle of doing something when you text – but generally speaking, if you send a heart emoji or an ‘x’ you’d expect a heart emoji or an ‘x’ back…

Sending and receiving similar expressions of affection – no matter the format – help make you feel like you’re on the same page, right? Right.

And now there is research to prove it.

In a survey conduced by psychologists at Pace University in New York, 205 people – all of whom were in relationships and aged between 18 and 29 –answered questions about their texting routines, such as the frequency of initiation and using texts to ‘express affection’ or ‘bring up an issue that’s hard to bring up in person’.

The results showed that those who felt their partner’s texting habits mirrored their own reported greater overall relationship satisfaction than those who didn’t.

“Findings highlight the importance of perceived similarity between romantic partners regarding texting behaviours for their level of satisfaction, even when taking into account the robust predictors of attachment anxiety and avoidance,” reported the study, published in Computers in Human Behaviour.

Further research is needed before any definitive conclusions are reached, because most of the study’s participants were women – 74 per cent to be precise. Whether surveying a majority of men would lead to similar results remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, this still highlights the importance of written communication between lovers. So if you and your partner are the heart emoji/miss you/what you up to? types… keep on!

Via Grazia

Now to Love