Does the silent treatment really work?

Your boyfriend has gone and stuck his foot in his mouth again and is being a royal prick, so what better way to get him to realize the error of his ways than by giving him the silent treatment. We’ve all done it. We’ve all played the silent treatment card to get the upper hand on a situation at least once. Most of the time, the silent treatment will eventually get your guy to come back apologizing with his tail between his legs if you can just hold out long enough. But, eventually if you play the card too often, it’s power eventually wears off and you end up being the one to come crawling back with an apology.

So, does the silent treatment really work? Yes, in the short-term the silent treatment does work if you know how to do it properly. But, according to the experts, it’s a childish maneuver that hurts the relationship in the long term. Sure, they may have a point, but getting your guy to see your point in an argument is more effective this minute, right? Not to mention, guys are always telling us we talk too much anyway.

Even the experts admit the silent treatment is an effective tool for “teaching your partner a lesson.” Sure, they may snicker at first and think we are just being dramatic, but if you ignore their existence long enough, they eventually cave. It’s all about who has a stronger willpower for revenge to get your way.

When you think about it that way, it really doesn’t sound like a very healthy relationship choice even if it is effective. Other than your point being made or you getting your way, the underlying issue never really gets resolved, which is likely to cause resentment down the road. Who knows, maybe there is something to what the relationship experts say.

The experts say to only use the silent treatment to handle your anger--- basically, if you don‘t have anything nice to say don‘t say anything at all. They recommend coming to some sort of compromise to resolve the conflict without turning to childish behaviors. They even recommended counseling if you can’t resolve problems without the silent treatment to learn how to talk through your issues like adults and not ignore your spouse.

In my opinion, sometime’s talking can wait. The silent treatment is effective if you know how to use it right, plus it gives you more time to think about witty comebacks and what you’re going to say to your partner when they finally do come to you to work things out. I agree, the silent treatment may not be the smartest choice and shouldn’t be used too often, especially if the issue at hand is a big one. But, when you throw it out there once every blue moon for little issues, what’s the harm?