It is often believed that women have a sixth sense in relationships. They are believed to be more attuned to the highs and lows of their relationships, solving problems and even predicting the fate of the relationship, especially as it nears its end. It is often believed that women are better at “seeing” signs of a relationship breakup.
Sociological and evolutionary theories also support this belief, linking it to the greater social and emotional responsibility women are believed to bear in relationships, as well as their long-term biological goals related to reproduction.
But a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships took a deep dive into this belief and revealed that there is more to it than just that. It is more nuanced than previously thought.
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It is mistakenly considered a relationship barometer
Researchers have examined the widely held belief that women are the “barometer” of relationships. Study author Matthew D. Johnson explained: “There is a general belief in the scientific community and more broadly in culture that women are relationship experts or ‘barometers’, such that their views on relationships are more diagnostic of what will happen in future for relationships than men’s views.’ But research has shown that this is not always the case. Women are better at predicting a gap in only one specific area – commitment.
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Bonding with commitment
The study surveyed 314 couples and tracked their relationships over four years. It focused on assessing the four main elements of a relationship: commitment, satisfaction, love, and likelihood of breakup. Among them, commitment stood out as the strongest predictor of whether a couple would break up. But this applies only to women. The dedication and effort put into staying together strongly indicated the possibility of a breakup, especially in years two, three, and four, but not in the first year.
This suggests that women do not have a universal ability to predict the future of their relationships, but can often predict a breakup based on commitment alone. While both men and women predict breakups equally well when it comes to how happy they are in the relationship (satisfaction) and how much they love their partner (love). There is no gender difference for love and happiness. Both partners’ feelings about these two aspects are equally important in determining the outcome of the relationship.
But there is a gender difference in commitment. Only commitment gives women a hint of understanding the future of the relationship. So, whenever a commitment seems forced, it’s a sign of an upcoming breakup. Weakening female attachment is a more important key than male attachment.
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