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Being supportive doesn't always mean trying to make negative emotions disappear immediately.
Researchers have studied the pressure people experience from romantic partners not to feel negative emotions.
This can include feeling that sadness, anger, anxiety, or other unpleasant emotions aren't acceptable within the relationship.
Researchers found meaningful differences in how much people experienced this pressure.
The topic matters because emotional support isn't necessarily the same thing as demanding positivity.
Sometimes “cheer up” can feel very different from “it's okay to feel bad right now.”
© Cognition and Emotion (2024)