Backing the shedding of the egoistical ‘I’, research indicates it is detrimental for not only individuals to use ‘I’, but more so for couples, with the beneficial effects of using ‘We’ rather than ‘I’ holding true for both.

University of California researchers who conducted the study found that using the word ‘We’ works marvels leading to a far happier marriage, than couples who insist on using ‘I’.

Robert Levenson, Professor of Psychology and co-author of the study said, while individuality is a deeply ingrained value in American society, it is always worth while in the realm of marriage, when you are a part of a ‘we’, to give up a little bit of ‘me’.

It is best to use other words, such as, ‘our’ or ‘us’ to keep the partnership a united one, which will only enhance the probability of weathering the tough times together.

The study claims, partners who converse in ‘We-ness’ are better able to resolve their conflicts, with research suggesting ‘I,’ ‘me’ and ‘you’ tend to create a problem and are words that are shunnable.

For their study, researchers followed 154 middle-aged and older married couples discussing the reasons of disagreement in their marriages.

On analyzing it was discovered that conversations went smoothly and were physically less stressful for concerned individuals when the word ‘we’ was used.

Contrastingly, employing pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘me’ emphasized the separateness of couples who were not content in their marriages.

Older couples who identified themselves ‘we’ suggested being through the thick and thin of life had only strengthened their relations, compared to middle-aged couples, as using ‘we’ is a natural outgrowth of a sense of partnership, of being part of the same team, and being confident of being able to face problems together.

The study’s findings have been published in the Journal Psychology and Aging.