It is hardly news to suggest that neurotic people find comfort in being loved. People who struggle with depression, anxiety and OCD often experience isolation as a result of these conditions. Sharing them with a partner who can withstand such gale force emotions is often a great relief. Now someone has studied just how great this relief can be. A study published in the Journal of Personality followed several couples over many months to see how they handled neurotic behavior. The results were encouraging:

The scientists found that, while in a romantic relationship, neurotic behavior seemed to gradually decrease over time . . . For one thing, they receive support from each other, said Christine Finn. Secondly, the world of inner thought plays a crucial role: “The positive experiences and emotions gained by having a partner change the personality — not directly but indirectly — as at the same time the thought structures and the perception of presumably negative situations change,” Finn said.

Of course these researchers have ignored the far thornier question of how to land a stable relationship when you feel like a fragile and self-admonishing bundle of nerves.

At PPSC, we offer relationship therapy to help bridge this gap, offering patients the tools they need to make sense of their romantic relationships. Issues such as frequent arguments and problems of trust are often the product of each individual’s emotional history.

If you’d like to build healthy relationships and discover more productive ways to work through difficulties with your partner, please contact the New York relationship therapy experts of PPSC today.