Love is telling your partner what an awful day you’ve had

WHEN you get a parking ticket or have an argument at work, you’ll probably tell your partner about it over dinner.

But rather than just being a useful way to blow off steam, moaning to your significant other about a bad day can bring you both closer, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Jena in Germany spent two and a half years asking 100 couples, half aged 20 to 30 and half aged 70 to 80, about their relationships.

In results reported in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, they said that when men had a spot of bother, they felt better if they told their partner about it.

Meanwhile women said that learning their partner had had a bad day made them sad. Those whose partners regularly shared their troubles said they were closer in the long run. ‘These effects may explain why people so frequently share bad news with others,’ the researchers wrote. ‘It may be a catalyst for creating and nourishing relationship closeness.’