Better Than My Ex

If you think your significant other is a better catch than your ex,
according to a study, you might be kidding yourself.

While research has shown that we tend to idealize our current
romantic partner and devalue other potential partners, a study shows
that we do so to help feel better about our current choice. People are
susceptible to such thinking regardless of how partners might actually
stack up against each other, the researchers found after manipulating
conditions in the lab.

The team, led by psychologist Glenn Geher of the State University
of New York at New Paltz, found that most subjects rated their current
partners more positively than they did their exes on such desirable
traits as openness and agreeableness. People who were happiest in their
current relationships were especially likely to show this perception
gap.

"Whether or not such perceptions are valid," says
Geher, "they help us sleep better at night." And, no doubt,
to wake up to our partner in the morning.