Does Your Wife Worry How You’ll React When She Shares?

When A Woman Doesn’t Open Up To Her Husband, It’s Because She Has Learned Not To

This man didn’t understand why his wife would only reveal her feelings after multiple requests from him. He just didn’t get it; many husbands don’t. In my research, I’ve conducted thousands of interviews for the books I’ve written on relationships between men and women. I’ve found that when a woman doesn’t open up easily to her husband, it’s because she has learned not to. At some point along the way—whether it was her father, an old boyfriend, or perhaps her husband even now—a woman learns that to open up about her emotions equals a negative reaction.

He needed to consider if he had ever overreacted or reacted negatively to his wife when she did share how she was feeling. So many times, wives try to talk to their husbands about something important to them, and husbands view it as criticism, reacting suddenly and harshly. This teaches wives that their marriage is not a safe place to share their true feelings.