CHANGED? Why not?

Talk about winning: Trust in your partner's ability to change not only going to help him do it - it also makes you happier with your relationship, says a new study of couples in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

In a series of experiments, people who say their partners are able to make changes themselves to rank the quality of their relationship to a more positive and feel more secure in their condition than those who do not think that change will occur. This is true even for those who think their partner could do more to improve his interpersonal skills.

"People who believe that their partners are able to make changes more likely to see their partner efforts in a positive light," said study author Chin Ming Hui, a graduate student in the School of Psychology at Northwestern University. On the other hand, if you do not think that change is possible, you're more likely to ignore these efforts, and dwell on its properties less desirable.

The good news: Despite being optimistic in the relationship does not exist in nature, you can still use the research findings to make things better at home. "Try to intentionally detect and appreciate the subtle improvements that occurred in the relationship," said Hui. For example, to recognize the signs that he was going to start an argument or a fight before it happens. Look at things from your point of view about the changes occurring in him.

You'd be ready to accept change, right?