In my most recent Monitor on Psychology (38:1), a news magazine for members of APA, there is a little blurb about a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (91:5) about the benefits of enthusiastic responses to spouse’s positive experiences. “Those whose mates energetically cheered after positive events, such as a raise or promotion, later reported greater relationship satisfaction and were less likely to break up than those with less enthusiastic mates” (Monitor, p. 13).
Makes lots of sense if you think about it. You come home happy and tell a loved one about a neat experience, a success. How do you feel if they show minimal interest or even a negative response (e.g., “But what about x, won’t that still be a problem?”). Doesn’t it burst your bubble? Maybe even more than if you approached them about a negative situation and they didn’t respond as well as you had hoped. Are you then tempted to find someone else to tell in hopes that they will rejoice with you? Interestingly, the researchers found that positive-energetic responses to good events predicted relationship satisfaction better than compassionate responses to disappointing news.
So, are you a cheerleader for loved ones? Or does your logic, realism, suspicion, etc. cause you to rain on their parade?
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and in doing so, strengthen family ties.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 