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Add The New York Post on Google Originally Published by: ‘Quiet quitting’ in marriage: The subtle signs a spouse has emotionally checked out Why couples should flirt with each other every day — plus the ‘red flag’ to avoid Red state heartlands put a ring on young love while progressive blue cities lag More than one-third of Americans report having ended a relationship over political differences , according to recent research – and experts say those divisions may also be straining some marriages.
Some high-profile couples, including Democratic strategist James Carville and his wife, Republican political consultant Mary Matalin, have remained together despite their differing views – but experts say navigating those differences isn’t always easy.
Anna Elton, Ph.D., a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical sexologist in Massachusetts, said she has counseled couples on different sides of the political aisle .
“A lot of couples come in and they want to work on communication, and politics can come up in our sessions,” Elton, author of “The Formula of Desire,” told Fox News Digital.
“I work with a number of couples who are in this place where they have a family, they have kids, but they can’t talk about politics.”
For many singles, Elton said, political compatibility is now something they consider early in the dating process.
She referenced a recent study that found younger adults tend to make assumptions about religion, gender roles, empathy and other characteristics based on political affiliation.
“So, before you get to know the person, you’ve already created this assumption of who this person is.”
“I’ve definitely been hearing from my younger clients who are saying, ‘I want to know which political party this person belongs to, and then I’ll see if I want to even be going on a date and wasting my time with this person.’”
For couples who have been married for decades, today’s political divisions may present challenges that didn’t exist when their relationships began, Elton noted.
The expert offered the following three tips for navigating politically charged conversations with a partner in a healthy way.
Come up with rules for the conversation and set the tone before it starts, Elton suggested, noting that the first three minutes of a discussion typically predict the outcome.
Conversations that begin with a harsh tone or accusatory language are unlikely to be productive, she said. “So, before you talk, say, ‘OK, these are our boundaries for this conversation.’”
Those boundaries can also extend to media habits, Elton said, including limiting how much political content couples consume, especially on social media.
“You read certain things and then all of a sudden, you keep scrolling on your social media and you see similar content coming up over and over and over again,” Elton said. “And at this point, it creates an illusionary effect.”
Hearing the same information repeatedly may lead people to gradually accept it as true, according to Elton. “Now think about two people who are in their echo chambers, and they’re exposed to certain information that is contradicting each other.”
As a general rule, Elton said couples should be mindful not to spend more time on their phones than they do engaging with each other. Excessive scr…