The Role of Empathy in Couples Communication

Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to the feelings of another person. This deeper sensitivity and awareness of your own emotions and the emotions of others can come in handy for yourself, your career, and the relationships in your life.

Empathy is being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to better understand where they’re coming from. Having the ability to be more empathetic can actually build the relationships you have in your life. You’ll be able to connect with your partner on a deeper level as well as support them and reduce any situations where conflict may occur.

Let’s learn more about the role of empathy in couple communication.

Empathy Creates a Better Understanding.

If you want to create a healthy and long-lasting relationship, you have to make sure that you understand your partner and where they’re coming from. To do this, you need to have empathy. Creating a deeper bond with your partner requires you to occasionally see things from their perspective. This means being able to put yourself in their shoes to see how they’re feeling about a certain situation, even if you may not agree with them.

When we’re able to show our partners empathy, they feel like they’re being heard, and understood, and that their needs are being met. By doing this, you’ll also be able to take a different approach when it comes to responding to them. Instead of letting your emotions take control, you’ll be able to drive the conversation in a better way by asking the right clarifying questions so you can understand even better.

Partners are More Satisfied.

There’s a correlation between empathy in relationships and the partners being more satisfied overall. This is mostly due to a mutual understanding between the individuals in the relationship. Empathy helps each partner understand one another in a better way, which can make them feel better about themselves and their relationship, but it also helps to reduce conflict overall. When conflict does occur, empathy helps to make sure it’s resolved relatively quickly.

The Connection is Stronger.

Partners who show one another empathy tend to have stronger connections. Empathy helps to create a healthy and strong bond during positive and even challenging interactions. All relationships involve good days and bad days. Since you and your partner are two completely different individuals, you won’t always agree with them on every single topic. But empathy can come into play to help your relationship during the times that you may argue or bicker with one another. Instead of sticking to your guns, you’ll be able to see where they’re coming from which can help secure your bond and overcome a disagreement in a healthy and mature way.

Relationships are More Resilient.

It’s true. Relationships with empathy tend to be more resilient than the ones without empathy. Empathy helps to reduce any arguments or disagreements within a relationship which can also help to make it more resilient. There are a lot of unknowns in life. There will be both good and bad days. Your relationship may constantly be tested.

Individuals who show one another empathy are better suited to go through these challenging times together. They’ll have a better understanding of their own wants and needs but also those of their partner. Together, they can handle whatever life will throw their way as a team.

Next Steps

Empathy is one of the best ways to help couples communicate efficiently and effectively. The good news is that empathy is a skill that can constantly be worked on. There are a few steps you can take or changes you can implement together like active listening, asking one another questions, identifying your own emotions, tuning into nonverbal cues, and more. We’re here to help if you and your partner are interested in seeking additional support. Reach out today to learn more about couples therapy.