This Word Association Game Predicts Your Breakup
By Katherine J. Chen. Posted on .
Word association games may be more suggestive than you think when it comes to relationships. A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester shows that word association games have the ability to reveal what partners really think about their relationship, even before they can comprehend those feelings for themselves.
Most studies conducted in the past have concentrated exclusively on asking couples to express their feelings directly. However, this assumes that the couples are in touch with their real emotions, and know to what extent they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the relationship.
Ronald D. Rogge, one of the researchers behind the University of Rochester study, said, "To make things worse, a lot of people don't want to tell you if they're starting to feel less happy in their relationship." Survey Says She Should Break Up With Him
The study—in which researchers interviewed 222 volunteers involved in romantic relationships at the time—had participants state their partner's first name, plus two other words they associated with the person. These two words, which ranged from pet names to animals to characteristics, were used to determine how the individual truly felt about his or her partner. After this initial test, the volunteers then watched a monitor that presented three different kinds of words—positive words (peace, rest, vacation), negative words (death, criticism, judgment) and words associated with their partner (characteristics).
As combinations of these words showed up on the monitor, participants pressed the space bar on their keyboard whenever they saw words that reminded them of their partner. Volunteers who associated their partners with negative words or qualities were more likely to break up within a year. Stay Together or Break Up? How To Decide Now
Rogge added, "It really is giving us a unique glimpse into how people were feeling about their partners—giving us information that they were unable or unwilling to report."
Tell us: What words do you associate with your partner? Are they positive or negative?
