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Having a reliable partner can make parts of everyday life more predictable.
Couples often divide responsibilities and develop expectations about who handles particular tasks.
This reduces the need to renegotiate every decision from scratch.
Over time, these patterns can function like a shared cognitive system.
That's efficient while the arrangement works, but it also explains why sudden relationship changes can feel mentally exhausting.
You're not only adjusting emotionally—you may suddenly have to consciously manage tasks and decisions that used to happen almost automatically.
© Current Directions in Psychological Science