Quickie: Are You Happy in Your Relationship? It Will Be Reflected in Your Words
Research shows that language choices are a mirror of how we feel about each other
You read a book and soon after you find yourself writing in a similar style as the author. You watch your favorite television show and you use phrases that you heard the characters use. You talk to your partner and you begin to mimic their speech patterns. These behaviors are common, but can they provide insight about the nature of our relationships?
“Style words in the spouses’ poems were more similar during happier periods of their relationships and less synchronized toward each relationship’s end.”
According to researchers James Pennebaker and Molly E. Ireland, these behaviors, known as language style matching (LSM), are common and can be an indicator of how we feel about each other. In other words: Imitation really may be the sincerest form of flattery.
“Because style matching is automatic, it serves as an unobtrusive window into people’s close relationships with others,” said Ireland.
In a study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Pennebaker…
