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Media Source: Long-Term Love and Relationships

The elderly in successful marriages have learned how to avoid contempt, anger and whining about their spouse, says ºÙºÙÊÓƵ psychologist Phillip Shaver, who studies love and relationships. "In long-term marriages, people have much fewer strong negative emotions," he says. "They sidestep certain issues because they have agreed to disagree and still be affectionate." When an elderly person loses a long-term partner, the relationship isn't necessarily over, Shaver adds. "They reorganize the relationship in their mind to continue communicating with someone who isn't there," he says. Shaver is co-editor of the "Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research and Clinical Application."

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Susanne Rockwell, Web and new media editor, (530) 752-2542, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu

Phillip Shaver, Psychology, (530) 754-8304, prshaver@ucdavis.edu

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