Quick question: Do you use the word “I” or the word “we” when talking about your life? According to this MSN article (and a new study published in the September issue of the Journal Psychology and Aging), couples who use “we” fare far better in their marriages than those who stick with “I.” Confession: Even though Jack and I have been together forever, I’m still one of those people who uses “I” and “my” a lot -- enough that Jack has commented on it many times. Examples: my house, my dog, etc. It’s not that I don’t think of those things as being “ours”; there’s just something to having my own identity that I can’t let go of.
What is that? Is it pure narcissism on my part, or is it some subliminal attempt to assert my independence?