If a lovers' tiff leaves you fuming, blame your parents

If a lovers' tiff leaves you fuming, blame your parents, not your partner. The better your relationship with your parents in childhood, the better you are at getting over tiffs as an adult, according to a new study.

Scientists from the University of Minnesota in the US monitored a group of babies born in the mid-1970s until they reached adulthood. They found that those who had a secure relationship with their parents or carers as infants were better at recovering from conflict 20 years later, the Daily Mail reports.

But even those who had an insecure upbringing can pick up these skills from an emotionally-equipped partner, the scientists claim. Researcher Jessica Salvatore from Minnesota said: "We found that people who were insecurely attached as infants but whose adult romantic partners recover well from conflict are likely to stay together."

"If one person can lead this process of recovering from conflict, it may buffer the other person and the relationship." The 'most exciting finding', she added, was the evidence that romantic partners may play a role in reducing the effects of negative experiences in early life.