Could Your Partner's Video-Game Habit Be Hurting Your Relationship?

As Lana del Rey could tell you, playing video games together can be a fun bonding activity for couples. But if your individual gaming habits aren't in line with each other, things can start to go sour, according to a new study in the Journal of Family Economic Issues.

Researchers from Utah State University surveyed 3,455 married people on their gaming, TV, and social media habits. Contrary to the stereotype of the gamer lacking interpersonal skills, gaming itself wasn't a problem—if both people were equally into it. However, the difference between spouses' video-game habits predicted marital dissatisfaction and perceived instability. "The greater the difference between the spouses, the lower the happiness and stability and the greater the conflict both spouses reported," Jeff Dew, one of the study's authors, told Glamour over email. TV watching, on the other hand, didn't seem to affect marriages either way.

Social media was also related to dissatisfaction, but only when husbands used it more than their wives. Women used social media more than men overall—only 21 percent of wives said they never used it, compared with 40 percent of husbands. The authors wrote that it's possible men use social media to alleviate marital conflict by focusing on other relationships. The same might go for gaming, they wrote.

So, you can take inspiration from Lana del Rey and "play a video game," but make sure you're (mostly) doing it together—and don't use it to avoid talking through your problems.

Photos: Getty Images

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