PH
How you perceive your partner isn't necessarily a perfect reflection of who they actually are.
A 2026 study examined 87 couples and compared people's perceptions of their partners' attachment anxiety and avoidance with their partners' own reports.
Participants' own attachment tendencies biased some of those perceptions.
Those biases were then associated with aspects of relationship quality.
Biased perceptions of partner anxiety were associated with lower commitment and satisfaction.
Biased perceptions of avoidance were associated with lower intimacy and passion.
Sometimes what you believe about your partner contains information about you as well as them.
© The Journal of Social Psychology (2026)