HshsIn 1970, Dr. John Gottman conducted an interesting experiment: He observed married couples and how they argued in conflict situations.
Nine years later, he contacted the couples again. It didn’t surprise him that some of the couples had separated, while others stayed together. Dr. Gottman was eager to answer one crucial question:
Is there a way to predict if a relationship will fail in the long run?
Surprisingly, he found out the answer: YES. In fact, he found a 90% accurate way to predict if a relationship will last.
Dr. Gottman and his team of researchers found out that successful couples had at least five positive interactions for every negative interaction. Dr. Gottman called this 5:1 ratio “The Magic Ratio” and attributed its fundamental importance to building trust and constructing a lasting relationship.
A positive interaction could be a compliment, a joke, showing support or affection. Indeed, we could point out plenty of positive aspects in any relationship at any given moment. However, we sometimes fail to communicate these positive aspects, creating an imbalance in the ratio, causing the foundation for trust and empathy to fade.
“Okay, Dr. Gottman observed this magic ratio for couples. We, however, are in a business setting. There is no wife and no husband—at least, not in most cases. Here we are dealing with employees, managers, and big bosses. Is the magic ratio still relevant?”
The answer is yes.
More in the next post…
Follow Inspired for Excellence for more inspiring stories.
Find out more about the Gottman Institute at https://www.gottman.com/
Have a nice weekend.
