Secret to a happy marriage is to annoy each other?
By dizzblnd
@dizzblnd (3073)
United States
May 4, 2008 9:23am CST
According to a new study released by the University of Michigan says "strangely enough rubbing each other the wrong way may be the right way to conduct a marriage" A writer for the the star.com gives his experience. http://www.thestar.com/living/article/419637
I would have to say, I tend to agree with the study, my husband and I will be married 17 years on May 12th this year. We irritate the hell out of each other. When we fight.. which is only occasionally, he won't let me stay mad.. he will come over and poke me, or make jokes, or tackle then tickle me. I find it hard to stay mad when I am laughing and trying very hard to be mad at the same time.
I love my husband. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, especially since we have married half of our lives already. 
How often do you annoy your spouse, or vice versa? Is it a happy marriage, or is it annoying to the point of wanting a divorce? 
Please share.
How often do you annoy your spouse, or vice versa? Is it a happy marriage, or is it annoying to the point of wanting a divorce? Please share.3 people like this
15 responses
@cynicalandoutspoken (4725)
• United States
4 May 08
I would have to say my honey annoys me more than I annoy him. I think...no I know he does it on purpose. It drives me batty. Like when I am trying to watch a TV show he will purposely talk and talk about nothing then he goes crazy when I turn the captions on so I can read my TV show since I can't hear it!
I've learned that sticking my tongue in his mouth shuts him up, but I inevitably end up missing my show then as well. 
@minnie_98214 (10557)
• United States
4 May 08
I would agree with this me and my hubby annoy each other all the time and love it. When one of us is mad the other will do what ever it takes to make them smile and its fun.
4 people like this
@sunshinelady (7609)
• United States
4 May 08
My husband and I have been married 35 years and he annoys me on a daily basis. Not a mean kind of annoying. Just gets a kick out of irritating me. I love him very much and can't see a life without him. He has stood by me on more than one surgery. He can irritate me and than when I am mad will tease at me until I smile again. Come August it will be 36 years and I love him more than when I married him. And I would think he was sick if he wasn't annoying me.
3 people like this
@dizzblnd (3073)
• United States
4 May 08
36 years?? Congrats! I can't wait to celebrate that anniversary. Maybe the annoyance comes from waaaaay back to childhood. Remember? That's how you knew if someone liked you. They would pick on you. I would worry if he stopped annoying me as well. Thank you for sharing the success to a long marriage
2 people like this
@greenline (14838)
• Canada
4 May 08
Secret to a happy marriage is "to do to each other what one likes from the other."
So, if the other likes to be annoyed, then sure that is the way. Just keep annoying ! Good luck ! Wish you happiness !
@dizzblnd (3073)
• United States
4 May 08
I am talking about good natured annoying.. you know.. when he knows that you don't like something like being tickled on your feet or whatever, but he'll do it just to get a reaction where you end up laughing and having fun.. that kind of annoying.. not the malicious.. I am going to lock you in the basement kind of annoying.
1 person likes this
@cathyt1557 (173)
• Canada
4 May 08
I have a wonderful marriage to an amazing man and yes, he does things to annoy me, intentionally. I do retaliate and get my own back on him. We laugh a lot and we enjoy each other's company. So, I guess it's true. He annoys me in a fun way and I think I do the same to him. It is both of ours second marriage and we didn't have much fun in the first one, so we are making up for it now. Here's to little annoyances.
2 people like this
@cathyt1557 (173)
• Canada
4 May 08
Thanks and keep up the aggrevation in your marriage...it keeps it fun!
!1
2 people like this
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
5 May 08
wow! that is interesting.. i guess we never notice these things.. maybe this is what my parents dont have.. they are not sweet and though my mom gets irritated with my dad they never make up in such a sweet way as you and your husband...
:(
i just remember though i am like this with my bf.. i would always try to ask him questions and pretend to be mad.. then he would do things so i will not be mad anymore. hehe nice post. i like it.
@katisaurus (1038)
• Canada
4 May 08
hehe. this made me giggle.
Good to know though, if my boyfriend and I ever get married we'll get along perfectly.
He literally annoys the hell out of me EVERY day. We never fight though and he knows how far to go (as do i). I mean we have the odd disagreement or whatever but even when we do that, if one of us is actually upset, the other will eventually go prod or poke, or tickle. So I kinda believe and agree with this aswell.
It's hard to stay mad at a guy when they get all cute and goofy with you, eh? lol
@alindahaw (1219)
• Philippines
5 May 08
My husband and I often have disagreements. It's nothing serious really and we usually resolve the whole issue by the end of the day. Yeah, I think fighting every now and then is a good thing. If anything else, it means that you and your spouse are still communicating with each other.
@wisedragon (2325)
• Philippines
5 May 08
If there is truth to this study I would guess the explanation is because then the two of you would understand each other more so that the rules become clear as to what is permissible and what is not. That way you can avoid the really big fights.
Also you would get to practice reconciling after a fight, so that no fight really gets to the point of divorce. My opinion.
@foxygirle (376)
• Philippines
5 May 08
well we do get annoyed from our better half from time to time. Either consiously or unconsiously. Living with a person that you choose to be with for the rest of your life is no paradise. It need daily work, patience and utmost love to tolerate the annoying habit. Being together to live up with the annoyance especially those habits that you have to tolerate whether its good or bad and the snoring at night really annoys me sometime. But then there's no perfect people and I'm not perfect either and i think there are times that I annoy my husband too. I guess that's what spice up the relationship also.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
4 May 08
My husband used to annoy me by his making jokes
out of odd words like Cedar Glenn only he would
pronounce it cedarg-lenn which sounded to me
just plain stupid.then he would start teasing me
and end up tickling my foot so I would be laughing
my fool head off. hard to stay mad when you
are laughing like a loon .
2 people like this
@metal_monkee (930)
• Philippines
5 May 08
hi dizzblnd...
i dont agree with the term ANNOY each other as the secret to happy marriage...it can be called flirting with each other should be more appropriate term i guess hehe?
anyways...please do dropped by and read my discussion titled "THE MARRIAGE" an inspirational story...
thanks...
SMILE ALWAYS...^_^
1 person likes this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
5 May 08
In two days, I will be married for 43 years and you are right about the part where they can irritate the heck out of you.. I don't know what we are doing but it has worked for all of these years.. We do annoy each other and he does pick at me sometimes to the point of making me want to hurt him, but I haven't, at least not yet, I haven't.. You have to have a good sense of humor or it will not work..
