How To Spot A Commitment Phobe

Article Source: lifestyle.yahoo.com

Are you always falling for the wrong guy? Turns out you may just need to ask a few sneaky questions to gauge his long-term potential.

A new survey published Psychological Science reveals that a commitment phobe may be easier to spot than you might think.

According to scientists at the University of Minnesota, to determine your partner's true level of commitment, all you need to do is ask about their childhood.

"Supportive, involved mothering in toddlerhood and an ability to work through conflict in adolescence are good predictors of becoming the 'strong link' — the person with the bigger stake — in adult relationships," said spokesperson M. Minda Oriña.

On the other hand, if the opposite happened in earlier life, "chances are the person will be the weak link — the one with one foot out the door."

The findings also revealed that it's not the level of commitment shown by both partners in a romantic relationship that matters, but whether their level of commitment matches up.

"Two 'strong links' will be benevolent and tolerant when the going gets rough, but two 'weak links', though lax about working things out, will have equally low expectations — so there's less friction," said Oriña, who went on to explain that a relationship between one 'strong link' and one 'weak link' is a recipe for disaster.

"When these two pair up, the one with less investment has more influence — and stability is the loser," explains Orina.

Do you agree with the results of this survey?