Arthur Aron, a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, said that the finding was valuable, if not surprising.
"What people predict affects their behavior, and making decisions about whether to stay or break up a relationship is enormously important in peoples' lives," he said. "So, if you are more afraid than you should be, then you're going to stay in a relationship that you shouldn't [be in]."
"So, it's good if it helps keep you in a good relationship, but it's bad if it helps keep you in a bad relationship," Aron added. "It's a kind of irrationality. But it's important to know about it."
More information
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SOURCES: Eli Finkel, Ph.D., assistant professor, department of psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Paul W. Eastwick, graduate student and doctoral candidate, department of psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Arthur Aron, Ph.D., professor of psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, N.Y.; August 2007, The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
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