As someone passes you on the street, a gentle breeze picks up their cologne and you’re unexpectedly sent back in time. From the detergent your mother washed your clothes with to the scent of a high school boyfriend’s car, memory has a powerful impact on our lives. But a new study suggests that these seemingly harmless memories may have a more negative effect on our relationships than who we’re friending on Facebook. Participants were shown their Facebook friends list to see if it heightened potential partner recognition. They found that Facebook friends were not perceived as romantic threats for committed relationships. Instead, they found the biggest threats are the people in their heads (you know, past interests…comforting, right?) – “that merely thinking about a person one views as a potential romantic partner could lower an individual’s relationship satisfaction and commitment to one’s current partner”. Lobotomy, anyone?
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