Boo! 4 Scary Noises to Avoid in Your Relationship

Don’t let communication noise lead to relationship frights.

Although this is a time when we celebrate all things scary and welcome the entities that go bump in the night, there are some noises you want to avoid because they can have a scary effect on communication in your relationship. The following are four types of communication noise that can cause the wrong kind of chills in your relationship on Halloween or any other time of the year.

The Alarming Physical Noise

This is the type of noise we put up with every single day — the construction on the street, the loud music from someone’s house, the sounds of neighborhood dogs barking — and even though we may not be the cause of the noise itself, it can make interacting with our partner extremely challenging. You can’t control physical noise, however, you can prevent it from interfering with the communication with your partner by moving into another area if possible or delaying important conversations until you have a quiet space to talk to each other.

If possible, avoid having serious discussions when you and your partner are sick.

The Formidable Physiological Noise

The old cliché of “not tonight, honey, I have a headache” does not only apply to sex — it can also apply to communication in our relationships in general. Physiological noise is caused by any physical ailments you may be suffering from that make it difficult to formulate ideas clearly when you’re speaking to your partner or really listening to what they have to say. If possible, avoid having serious discussions when you and your partner are sick, and if you can’t, handle these conversations with care and understanding.

The Hair-Raising Psychological Noise

You’ve had a horrendous day at work and when you talk to your partner that evening, all you can do is think about everything that went wrong. You had a fight with your mother and you keep hearing the argument on a loop when your significant other is trying to tell you something. These are examples of psychological noise that can prevent us from communicating effectively in our relationships. It may take a lot of effort to clear your mind of the things bothering you, but you can let your partner know why you’re distracted. By getting the problem off your chest, it can help you go into interactions with a clearer head so you don’t create conflict in your relationship because of it.

It may take a lot of effort to clear your mind of the things bothering you, but you can let your partner know why you’re distracted.

The Spine-Chilling Semantic Noise

Semantic noise can occur when there are barriers caused by the words we use with our partner. For example, if you work in a profession that has a lot of jargon, using that language when talking to your partner can cause confusion if they don’t understand the words you’re saying. Similarly, if you speak another language and you start using it when having an argument with your partner, it will create a communication challenge that can breed misunderstandings. In these cases, it’s best for partners to use language that they both understand — but that’s not to say they can’t learn from each other. Teaching your partner the different words you use not only helps to prevent communication barriers, it can also create a deeper bond to each other.

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Source:

DeVito, J. (2008). Human Communication: The Basic Course. Allyn & Bacon.