The Romantic Casualty of Focusing on Money
The Romantic Casualty of Focusing on Money
Relationships and money can be tricky. Researchers have found that this is especially true if one partner in a relationship defines personal success with economic achievements. Regardless of income level or money-related stress, couples are more likely to experience disharmony when it comes to their relationship if one of the members of the pair is highly money-focused.
This summary of research from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships provides a few reasons and few things to consider. The time spent pursuing or thinking about money takes away from focusing on the relationship. Partners who define their self-esteem based on financial success are also likely to get upset by minor “infractions” of their partner regarding financial decisions.
How to improve the situation? If you’re defining your self-worth based on your net worth, you may have an underlying money belief (aka one of the Money Scripts®) that could be holding you back from relationships. Consider reviewing the “why” behind your focus on money. Make sure to focus a portion of the time you might spend on money-related matters to ensuring your relationship is on solid ground.