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Relationship researchers call it the Michelangelo phenomenon.
It occurs when one partner's perceptions and behaviors help the other move closer to the person they themselves want to become.
The name comes from the idea of a sculptor revealing the figure already contained within the stone.
Importantly, this isn't about changing your partner into your personal ideal.
It's about supporting qualities, ambitions, and goals that belong to them.
A relationship can therefore influence not only how happy someone is, but who they gradually become.
© Current Directions in Psychological Science