Study says secrets can sometimes be good for a relationship

By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Keeping secrets from a partner can sometimes be good for a relationship, suggests a new study.

Whether it is keeping a secret chocolate stash, buying too many takeouts, or watching a TV show ahead of your partner, researchers say secrets can have a positive impact.

The study suggests that this is due to the guilt people feel when keeping a secret, as it leads to more investment in the relationship. This might include spending more money on a Valentine's Day gift or taking your partner on more dates.

Study co-author Dr. Kelley Gullo Wight said: “We found that 90 percent of people have recently kept everyday consumer behavior a secret from a close other, like a friend or a spouse, even though they also report that they don’t think their partner would care if they knew about it.”

She said the research differs from previous work on the topic as it focuses on how secrets can be positive in a relationship rather than negative.

Dr. Wight, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana, said: “Even though most of these secret acts are quite ordinary, they can still positively impact the relationship.

“The positive impact is an important piece.”

The researchers asked couples questions about the things they hide from their partners.

It revealed that 65 percent hid the type of products they buy and 12 percent hid experiences and 10 percent kept a service secret.

Specifically, 40 percent of people said they hid food or drink and 10 percent said they kept both jewelry and hobbies a secret.

Eight percent said gifts or donations were their guilty secret, while 6.3 percent said health, beauty and wellness products.

Co-author Dr. Danielle Brick, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Connecticut, said: “One of my favorite findings is that partners often keep the same secrets from each other. In one couple, both partners reported secretly eating meat when they were both supposed to be vegetarian.”

The research, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, offers an insight into how companies can market themselves to secretive couples. Marketers can find out who they are hiding the product from and adapt to support their secret usage.

Dr. Wight added: “We find that people generally keep consumption a secret from a specific person, not necessarily everyone, which means that encouraging secret consumption shouldn’t inhibit other marketing strategies, such as word of mouth.”