A wife's nonchalance toward a potential threat to her relationship has tickled internet users.
The viral TikTok video, posted in December by Alex Quist, under the username @thequistfamily, shows his wife, Courtney, shopping at the grocery store as he texts her to say that a woman is flirting with him in another aisle. Courtney checks her phone, reads the message and continues shopping without a change in expression. The clip has received more than 6.1 million views and over 155,000 likes.
@thequistfamily Ain’t nothing stopping her from getting christmas shopping done 🤣 #couplescomedy #funny #relationship #marriage #coupletok #thequistfamily #shopping #couplegoals
♬ Sleigh Ride (Sped Up) - The Ronettes
Building Trust in Relationships Is Paramount
The Gottman Institute, led by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Robert Levenson, has been conducting research about relationship dynamics for over 40 years. The research showed that building trust and loyalty within a relationship are critical processes toward deeper love.
Gottman said there are three phases of love at which a relationship might progress or deteriorate. The first phase, predictably, is about falling in love and the "cascade" of hormones and neurotransmitters that prompt infatuation with a new person.
Phase Two, though, is about building trust, and Phase Three is about sustaining that trust through commitment and loyalty.
"The big questions of Phase 2 of love are, 'Will you be there for me? Can I trust you? Can I count on you to have my back?'" Gottman wrote. "The building of trust is about having your partner's best interests in mind and at heart."
Following the building of trust and its success or failure, Phase Three tackles bigger issues of commitment and loyalty. This, Gottman wrote, is "about making a deeper love last a lifetime, or slowly nurturing a betrayal".
Laying a groundwork of trust has also been proven in other studies as a key mechanism to keep relationships healthy.
A 2020 study found that the development of trust in romantic partners proved especially important for stability and the avoidance of conflict in relationships, and viewers of Alex's video seem to agree.
Those who left comments were amused at Courtney's non-reaction, sharing their own experiences of trust as a no-brainer and crediting the wife with a rightful, relaxed attitude.
"My husband said the ladies at his swim exercise class [invited] him for coffee. I said, 'Did you tell them you're married?'" @paulajane1964 wrote. "'They are in their 70's,' he said."
"This is the level of unbothered I'm striving for in 2024," @cmpatterson0604 posted.
"She said, 'Whatever, I have your credit card,'" @gary_elvis_roxxx_ added.
Others were more earnest in their reaction, praising the couple for the security and loyalty that Courtney's behavior implied.
"This is a healthy relationship. She trusts you to handle it and be faithful," @gemmapenney wrote.
"And that's on a trusting relationship," @i_am_not_an_owll posted. "If my hubby messaged that I'd text back 'good for you' knowing he won't engage."
"This," @mcrayban commented. "This is a healthy relationship."
Has infidelity broken your trust in your partner? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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