Want someone to feel more loved? Try this.
As a social species, we're wired to be in relationship with others. As Brené Brown puts it in the wonderful Daring Greatly,
“Connection is why we're here. We are hardwired to connect with others, it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.”
Brene Brown
But man, sometimes it can be TOUGH.
Long time readers of this blog (are you out there? Feel free to say hi) will know that I've poked this particular bear with a stick on several occasions over the years; from a whole week dedicated to different aspects of romantic love, to heart-ache, loss and more.
Drs John and Julie Gottman's research has revealed that, during conflicts, a ratio of 5 positive interactions to 1 negative one can predict whether relationships make the distance - and that successful couples have an even higher ratio of 20 positives to 1 negative.
What kinds of things are negatives? From the Gottman Institute's blog;
- Use of the Four Horsemen: Defensiveness, Criticism, Contempt, or Stonewalling
- Lashing out at your partner when flooded instead of taking a time-out
- Raising your voice during conflict
- Neglecting to do something you told your partner you would do
- Being invalidating
- Rejecting bids for connection
- Using a harsh start-up
- Rejecting a repair attempt used by your partner
- Not listening to your partner when they speak during conflict
- Forgetting important milestones and events that are important to your partner
There are many ways to balance out the above negative interactions with positive ones, with a somewhat overlooked one from the field of positive psychology; the way we respond to good news.
Active Constructive Responding (or ACR which, to be fair, doesn't make it sound any sexier or catchier) is a way of responding to our loved one's good news in a way which is active (rather than passive) and constructive (rather than destructive) (yes, the clue is in the name).
When someone we love excitedly tells us that they've just won the promotion they've longed for, we can respond in one of these four ways:
What does responding actively and constructively look like? To me, it brings to mind how a proud parent (or grandparent) responds to a child when they bring a painting home from school. It may be a weird image to conjure when we're talking about adult-to-adult relationships, but we all still have that little child inside of us who blossoms in the face of warm, kind, undivided attention.
And it's not just partners who may blossom in the face of such a response; I swear, most of the reason why strangers talk to me in public places is because I naturally tend to respond in an active and constructive manner. But it wasn't until I saw this matrix that I understood what I was doing.
So, it's your turn. Tell the truth now; which one is your most habitual response?
Yeah, it's okay. There are multiple reasons why we may respond in unintentionally destructive ways, as The School of Life reveals;
But these two insights - recognising that the ratio between positive and negative interactions isn't "one for one" to cancel each other out but much higher, and being aware of how we respond to another's good news - can go a long way to helping those we love actually feel more loved.
Which can only be a good thing for everyone concerned. Right? :)
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