Vì sao đại dịch Covid-19 khiến nhiều cặp vợ chồng đổ vỡ?

-----

Dear Dan,

Talking recently with my friends, we all agreed that the pandemic (đại dịch) was a stressful time, but some people’s relationships with their spouses seemed to fare better than others. What might explain the disparity (chênh lệch, không bình đẳng, khác biệt) among couples?

—Ellen

There are most likely many reasons for this, but here is one: Stress can take a toll on a relationship. For example, after a tough day at work and a long commute, you may arrive home feeling impatient (thiếu kiên nhẫn, nóng vội; không chịu đựng được, không dung thứ được, khó chịu) and irritable (dễ cáu, cáu kỉnh) toward your partner (who then ends up feeling undeservedly blamed). Taking your stress out on someone unrelated to its source is referred to as “stress spillover.”

The pandemic has created an extraordinary amount of stress and a lot of opportunities for spillover. Those of us who are better able to compartmentalize (chia thành ngăn) our COVID-19 anxiety, rather than taking it out on our partners, are likely to be better at protecting our relationships during these complex times.

Bài trước: 2 lời khuyên cho buổi hẹn hò đầu tiên