Love maps, according to psychologist and relationship expert Dr. John M. Gottman, are outlines of everything you know about your partner: hobbies, dreams, frustrations, and everything there is to know about them. Gottman says that couples with detailed love maps are most likely to enjoy marital closeness and satisfaction.
In an article by Pure Wow, The Relationship Place Founder, Dr. Dana McNeil, also a Gottman-trained Relationship Therapist, shared her expert insights on it. She laid out interesting points about the matter, one of which is that “the information swap has to be a two-way street.” She believes that reciprocating once a partner shares information about him/her is vital to avoid communication mismatch.
Dr. Dana McNeil also warns that if love mapping isn’t present at the beginning of the relationship, couples might struggle with it later. She explains:
“We project a lot at the beginning. We have endorphins and are not asking difficult questions because we don’t want to be abandoned and we want to stay in the happy place, but we’re not doing the work,”
The article was originally written by Dana Dickey. You can read more of it here.