Recovering from conflict crucial for fulfilling relationship

WASHINGTON - People wanting fulfilling and stable romantic relationships should seek someone who recovers from a conflict well.

A study looked at how people recover or come down after a conflict with their romantic partner, said Jessica Salvatore, of University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development, who led the research.

In the past, marriage researchers have focused on how people resolve conflicts, but they never looked at what happens after the conflict ends and how people recover, said Salvatore, the journal Psychological Science reports.

“If I’m good at recovering from conflict, my husband will benefit and be more satisfied with our relationship,” Salvatore said, according to a Minnesota statement.

The study’s participants were 73 young adults who have been studied since birth and their romantic partners.

A partner who recovers well doesn’t let remnants of the conflict spill over or leak into other parts of the relationship, Salvatore said.

He or she is able to separate conflict from other types of interactions, such as deciding how to parent their children or providing support to one another, Salvatore said.