Upper Middle’s “Big Fight” Survey, a look into how people who punctuate their texts throw down, found that money changes the nature, not frequency, of fights, which are more driven by perceived status inequality. The study also found that profession is predictive of fighting behaviors, that people creative people are off the fucking leash[4], and that there are downsides to marrying someone who works in sales.
Also this: Frequent sex is predictive of infrequent fighting except among people in their thirties who make a lot of money.
What People Actually Fight About
Bad habits like lateness, messiness and phone addiction, not money issues, are the most common cause of fights, specifically in relationships with high income differentials. Similarly, neglect is cited most frequently in high-status and dual-career households, where attention is a rare commodity. Money, while not the central bone of contention, is still a common issue (specifically among those in jobs with incentives baked into compensation structures). Domestic labor is also a major source of friction for couples with disparate jobs – presumably because it’s hard under those circumstances to gauge who is “contributing.” Political disagreements among partners rarely escalate, but, when they do, the fights tend to last a loooong time.
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