Your spouse is making you mad. Voices are getting louder. Tensions are high. What do you do?
Take five seconds. You don't need 10 seconds. You don't need 15. Just take a five second pause.
That's the conclusion that University of St. Andrews researchers drew in a new study, published in Communications Psychology, which showed that even the briefest of pauses can reduce negative emotions. The pause is perfect for handling lower-level conflicts preventing escalation. It is not meant for domestic violence situations.
