What can detract from your relationship and actually work against it? According to an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (90, 4) it’s your self-esteem. Low self-esteem had a negative impact on people’s judgment vis-à-vis their relationships. So self-esteem, according to the researchers, caused people to see their relationship in either a good or bad light. They also report more change in their view of their partners while the high self-esteem individuals are able to take the good with the bad and create a whole, more realistic, picture of their relationship.

Interesting, the view of those with low self-esteem also carried over this limited ability to evaluate into their judgments of other things in their lives. Therefore, it wasn’t just people who were subjected to these inaccurate perceptions. Their whole lives seem to be painted in this either/or fashion.

The researchers didn’t go into why this happens, but suggested that it is a way of offering more comprehensive help to those with low self-esteem.

Related Topics: Who’s Number 1 in Self-Esteem?, Surprising Spin on Women’s Self-Esteem

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