"In a landmark 1989 study, John Gottman and Lowell Krokoff found that conflict engagement, not avoidance, predicted long-term relationship satisfaction. This means that partners who've faced difficult topics, even messily, tended to fare better over time than those who consistently eschewed or withdrew from disagreement."
"More recently, Bretaña and colleagues (2022) found avoidant attachment to be strongly linked to withdrawal patterns in conflict, and that those patterns robustly predicted relationship dissatisfaction."
Conflict-free relationships can signal potential problems rather than compatibility. Honest and vulnerable communication often reveals differences between partners. Studies show that engaging in conflict leads to greater long-term relationship satisfaction. Research by Gottman and Krokoff indicates that couples who confront difficult topics fare better than those who avoid disagreement. Additionally, avoidant attachment styles correlate with withdrawal during conflicts, leading to relationship dissatisfaction. Thus, avoiding conflict can result in gradual deterioration of the relationship.
Read at Psychology Today
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