The Eyes Have It

Any marriage counselor will tell you that relationships are part art, part science. In the scientific realm, a new study finds that married couples often foreshadow the end of their relationship not with what they say, but with how they look.

Apparently, the way we communicate with our eyes and eyebrows as well as our mouths can be damaging even as we are using words that communicate everything’s OK. Researchers observed 80 couples and followed up with them four years later. Those who had shown the most destructive facial expressions—for instance, arched eyebrows or a pursed mouth—had been separated for a longer amount of time.

So how can this information help a couple to improve their relationship? Better communication is all about the verbal and the non-verbal. For starters, you can be more aware of how you look at your partner while speaking. And, you can also try saying what you’re actually thinking—we’d venture to guess those scathing looks are coming with an “I’m fine” uttered from gritted teeth. By being more open with your partner, you’ll work through your feelings more quickly, and hopefully have less reason to make faces at one another when you’re together! [Florida News-Press]