“Love is a way out of a hopeless situation.” These words of the German writer Walter Hasenklewer are not only beautiful, but absolutely reasonable. Scientists’ evidence.
Psychologists from the Universities of Jena and Kasel have proven that anxious people who are prone to neurotic reactions often get better through romantic relationships.1. Feeling in love helps them cope with the flow of emotions and become more resilient. “The anxious person is timid, insecure, prone to irritability and depression, often dissatisfied with their lives,” explains study author Christine Finn. “Research has shown that romantic relationships help such people cope with emotions and stress.”
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The experiment involved 245 couples aged 18 to 30 years. Scientists observed the lovers for 9 months, including during their forced three-month separation. During this time, the participants answered an online questionnaire, and the researchers determined their level of anxiety, as well as the degree of satisfaction with the relationship. To do this, the subjects had to evaluate different everyday situations and their possible significance for the couple. “We found that anxious people perceive the influence of the external environment in a different way,” said Christine Finn. “They respond more strongly to negative stimuli and tend to perceive situations in a negative light rather than positively or even neutrally.”
But if the anxious person is in a relationship, this tendency gradually subsides. “Positive experiences and emotions associated with relationships, falling in love, a partner affect the personality, change thought structures and perception of the situation,” psychologists believe. Simply put, love helps them to confidently go through life and not despair.
The researchers observed this effect in both men and women. “Each person, of course, reacts differently. In addition, very happy long-term relationships have a stronger impact than a short, failed romance, says Franz Neyer, co-author of the study. “But it’s definitely safe to say that young people who start a relationship only benefit from it.”
Kristin Finn sees another positive result of the study: not only anxious and suspicious people can be healed by romantic relationships, but also those who are experiencing depression. And although it is difficult for such people to overcome themselves, the study confirms that negative thoughts need to be fought.
1 Ch. Finn et al. «Recent decreases in specific interpretation biases predict decreases in neuroticism: Evidence from a longitudinal study with young adult couples», Journal of Personality, онлайн-публикация от 22 мая 2014 года.