As millennials, the world has never been more at our feet. And this applies to relationsh–swipe right.
In the ever growing age of technology and social media it’s easy to look at someone’s relationship highlight reel (Oops, we mean Facebook page) and think that your long-term relationship pales in comparison. Or to peek at someone’s perfectly romantic Instagram grid and think, “Maybe Tinder has better options…”.
Behavioural Economist, Dan Ariely, has a theory as to why this phenomenon exists and a quick cut solution to stop drooling over other’s perceived green-relationship-grasses and start watering our own.
Check out what he has to say:
He insightfully shares, “The moment you think in a short term horizon, the odds that you will invest in the relationship is much, much lower.”
He goes on to say, “When we’re in a relationship but continuously with one foot out and continuously thinking about how the outside world is more tempting and more interesting, and so on. It’s actually not a recipe for a good relationship. [A relationship] is not a zero sum game.” His solution? Simple, “[A relationship] gets better when you invest in it.”
In a nutshell, your grass is greener if you start watering it–and stop drooling over someone else’s lawn.
This has been so very true for us in our relationship. We’ve been through that struggle of thinking, “He’s so romantic, why can’t you be like that?”, “The ring I got you isn’t as big as that one.”, and the clincher, “They always look so happy, why aren’t we?”
It’s hard not to compare when you’re bombarded with social media proposals, weddings, helicopter dates–you know where this is going right? But, thankfully, this is where The Relationship Project is coming in to tell you the truth.
Perfect Relationships Aren’t Real and Real Relationships Aren’t Perfect.
This is why we created The Relationship Project.
We’re here to expose what it takes to have a healthy, mostly successful, relationship and this insight is just the beginning. So, let’s focus on investing in our own relationships, keeping those feet firmly planted, and you’ll be amazed at what can start to grow.
Stay tuned (subscribing is an easy way!) for more eye-opening research, behind the scenes of real relationships, tips and techniques to use to create and maintain a real relationship, too.
Let us know what you think in the comment about social media relationships, we’d LOVE to hear what you have to say!
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