Every couple has that ongoing argument. One wants to go to a movie and the other wants to stay in and watch TV. One wants Chinese food and the other wants pizza. One person likes it warm in the house and the other wants the temperature to stay low. As it turns out, that hot-cold fight may be more indicative of marital problems than anyone realized and, at its heart, that argument could lead to a Michigan divorce.
Reasons Room Temp Can Ruin a Marriage
Little differences and arguments in a marriage are good. You learn how to compromise and occasionally give in to please the person you love. However, research has shown that couples can be pushed over the edge when they differ in their preference for room temperature.
The disagreement over the temperature of a room or the house is, essentially, about comfort. You are more comfortable when the room is toasty. You are more comfortable when you’re bundled up under the covers in a cold room. You are more comfortable when you are paying less on the heating and air conditioning bill.
Here are the facts:
- Some couples argue more when the heat level rises. Hotter days make for hotter heads, and what might have been a minor issue becomes a major quarrel.
- The literal fight over hot and cold can be the jumping off point for airing resentments about annoyances, both large and small.
- If the core of the argument over room temperature is the utility bill, then there is a fundamental difference in how a couple functions financially, and that can sink a marriage.
- The person who has control over the thermostat and guards it like a hawk can signify a power struggle.
- Research has shown that females are biologically tuned to prefer hot over cold, based on a woman’s lower ratio of body mass to surface area, lessening muscle mass, and slower resting metabolism. Gender aside, if one person runs hot and the other runs cold, conflict is likely to ensue.
- One person may change the thermostat without alerting their partner, and this “underhanded” behavior can begin building a layer of resentment about secrets and have a spouse questioning what other little things their partner is doing without their knowledge.
Some of these examples may seem silly and not worth an argument, but far less has been the driving force behind a divorce. Room temp is just one more way for a couple in dire straits to get to a Michigan divorce attorney faster.
Testing the Foundation of Your Marriage
Small degrees of change, pun intended, can change the temperature of your marriage and, by affecting the total of your utility bill, identify the saver and spender in your union. Though you should already know which one of you is more willing to shell out for a night on the town and who would prefer a quiet evening at home, these preferences highlight other ways couples can butt heads and, without the tools to overcome their differences and compromise, couples may be doomed to divorce.
Ultimately, sparring over room temp repeatedly and with increasing malice is a sign that there are greater foundations in a relationship that are crumbling. If you ready to discuss filing for a Michigan divorce. Contact Michigan Divorce Help in Macomb, Michigan, for help and advice.