PH
A caring gesture doesn’t necessarily create the same sense of security for everyone.
Relationship research suggests that people who are chronically less trusting can interpret signals of a partner’s care more pessimistically.
That can encourage protective behavior intended to prevent getting hurt.
Unfortunately, excessive self-protection can also interfere with opportunities for greater connection.
This helps explain why reassurance that feels obvious to one partner may not feel equally convincing to the other.
Sometimes the issue isn’t that no signal of love was given—it’s how safely that signal could be received.
© Current Opinion in Psychology