For some, the COVID-19 pandemic has offered an opportunity to spend more time and reconnect with romantic partners. For others, love on lockdown has magnified relationship difficulties that couples were experiencing before the pandemic, leading to increased relationship stress and dissatisfaction. Break-ups, divorces, and even domestic violence have been on the rise since the pandemic began. Given that stable and satisfying relationships are critical for both mental and physical health, it’s necessary to understand what contributes to relationship distress, and how to fix it. That’s one of the goals of the “Breaking Sad” lab at Western University. Our lab focuses on how negative thinking contributes to depression and how these beliefs impact relationships. Recent research from our lab suggests that the beliefs we hold about our romantic partners may be especially important in understanding dysfunctional relationship patterns. The Importance of Beliefs About Partners In a recent study, we found that individuals in relationships create …