Love

The Happiest Couples Set Their House To This Perfect Temperature

Photo: Lopolo / Shutterstock
couple changing thermostat

For as long as I can remember, from November to March every single year, my parents have always argued over the heat.

My mother likes to keep it at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, while my father finds 75 degrees to be a much more reasonable temperature. This, of course, leads to my mother telling him to layer up, because "oil doesn't grow on trees," and he just sneaks off to turn it up again.

I even catch myself arguing with my husband over the temperature, as I throw open the window, loudly complaining about the fact that we have no control over our heat. It might seem trivial to argue over such a thing, but couples do and do so more than you'd think.

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Are you always arguing over the heat? This is the temperature that keeps married couples happy.

A study has found that 55 percent of people admit to arguing over the temperature in their homes, and 35 percent of Brits say they just can't agree with their partners about the ideal temperature. Hey, it's not easy living with someone else, especially one of those people who is always cold, like my dad.

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On average, it's men who prefer to keep the house colder, whereas women, who are nine times more likely to get cold hands and feet, prefer a warmer home. Additionally, women are far more sensitive to changes in temperature than men.

The study found that the perfect temperature, or rather the one that keeps arguing at bay, is 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius.)

Apparently, if you keep your thermostat there, you can hopefully avoid fighting over the oil bill, and the fact that one is colder than the other, and, perhaps, even get through the holidays without having a breakdown over the damn heat. 

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No matter what it is, couples will find a way to argue.

From little things like who ate the last cookie to "big" things like whose turn it is to clean the bathroom, bickering within a relationship is just fact. However, if you can somehow limit that arguing, would you? Probably. So, the first step in doing so is deciding on your ideal temperature right now before the winter officially sets in. If you can come to a compromise before you're both standing in the living room yelling that you're hot or cold, it will help relieve any unnecessary fights.

No one wants to spend their winter fighting over the heat. I mean, seriously. Fight over the last cookie being eaten instead; at least that actually matters.

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Amanda Chatel is a writer who divides her time between NYC and Paris. She's a regular contributor to Bustle and Glamour, with bylines at Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Livingly, Mic, The Bolde, Huffington Post, and others.