Gottman's Bird Test Divorce Prediction

In a long-running study at the University of Washington's "Love Lab," psychologist researchers observed newlywed couples and then followed up with them six years later to see who stayed married and who divorced. They focused on tiny "bids" for connection, like one partner saying, "Look at that beautiful bird," and watched whether the other turned toward the remark or brushed it off. Couples who remained happily married turned toward these bids about 86 percent of the time, while those who later divorced did so only about 33 percent of the time. Gottman accurately predicted couples' fates using this response pattern.

Previous Fact Next Fact