Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology, writes in this article in Newsweek with Yuichi Shoda, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, how thoughts and feelings people are not even aware of may shape their romantic relationships.
"Psychology studies show that the mere thought of your partner—or the sight of their photograph or name—spontaneously activates non-conscious feelings you hold toward them. For most people in healthy relationships, thinking of their partner elicits a “good” response," they write. "Research into these kinds of nonconscious evaluations suggests they can be a better barometer of relationship quality than what people explicitly say about their partner. For example, people who have stronger positive nonconscious partner evaluations tend to feel greater emotional commitment, security and satisfaction in their relationship. They are also more likely to have a brighter outlook about the future of their relationship and more constructive behaviors in interactions, and are less likely to break up."
Read the full article in Newsweek.
