According to a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, couples who use pronouns such as 'us' or 'we' are likelier to be happier in their relationship.
The research, carried out by the University of California, analysed 30 studies including more than 5000 volunteers, half of whom were married.
Scientists considered five main elements:
- How long couples had been together
- The mental health of participants
- Behaviour within relationships
- Physical health
- How couples took care of themselves
By investigating the link between the health of relationships and first-person plural pronouns ( 'we', 'our' and 'us'), researchers concluded that couples who spoke as a unit were in happier relationships.
“The benefit of analysing many different couples in a lot of different contexts is that it establishes we-talk isn’t just positively related in one context, but that it indicates positive functioning overall,” says Alexander Karan, a member of psychologist Meg Robbins' team.
“Hearing yourself or a partner say these words could shift individuals’ ways of thinking to be more interdependent, which could lead to a healthier relationship.”
However, it's unclear whether using these pronouns can make a couple happier.
