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Communication is vital forhealthy relationships.

What Kind of Communicator Are You?

Greater Intimacy

Good communication in relationships also fosters intimacy.

A gay couple walking down the street after meeting each other on a dating app, on their way to eat some food.

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This reciprocalself-disclosuremeans talking about your experiences, beliefs, values, opinions, and expectations.

Less Conflict

Communication in relationships reduces and resolves conflict.

Every relationship isbound to experience conflictfrom time to time.

Another study found that positive communication did not have a strong connection with relationship satisfaction over time.

Effective communication is one way to foster a positive, supportive relationship with your partner.

Recap

Communication is just one part of a good relationship.

Research suggests that people who are happy in their relationships are more likely to communicate well with one another.

First, it is important to think about what we mean by communication.

On the surface, it involves the words that people use to convey information to one another.

This can include avoiding arguments for the sake of keeping the peace.

This deprives you both of experiencing authentic, open, and honest discussions.

Withholding issues can be another common communication problem in relationships.

While this might provide you with an emotional outlet, it doesnt do anything to patch up the problem.

And a lack of arguing isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re communicating well.

Instead, it may mean you are holding back to get to avoid conflict.

If you want to improve your communication, focusing on improving your relationship overall can play an important role.

It allows people to feel understood, validated, and connected to another person.

Always remember that the goal of communicating is to understand one another.

It isn’t about sweeping problems under the rug to make it prevent all conflict.

Instead, focus on listening to understand and responding with empathy and care.

Gottman J, Silver N.The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.

New York, NY: Crown Publishers; 1999. : couple communication and marital satisfaction.Journal of Marriage and Family.

2018;6:e4831.