Can serious about your ex ever have a constructive impact? That is what researchers from the College of Kansas wished to search out out. To check their question, they rounded up individuals and had them replicate on nostalgic recollections of their exes throughout three completely different research.

And primarily based on their outcomes, a bit of nostalgia in your ex can really enhance your present relationship. That is proper—in all three research, the researchers discovered that serious about nostalgic recollections of ex associate’s “elevated the notion of present relationship high quality,” in comparison with the management group.

Additional, the examine authors be aware, pondering of relationships previous may even improve your motivation to maintain your present romantic relationship alive and effectively.

And if that weren’t sufficient, their remaining discovering was that the individuals’ perceptions of their very own self-growth possible influenced how they felt when serious about an ex. Particularly, when individuals mirrored on their previous relationships, they usually concurrently mirrored on how a lot they’d grown for the reason that relationship—which might clarify why they subsequently considered their present relationship (and motivation for that relationship) in an improved gentle.