Would you share your location with your partner 24/7? Some couples choose to do so, mainly for safety or practical reasons. But what happens when your significant other takes things too far?
A woman is considering calling off her engagement because of her fiancé's unhealthy and controlling behavior. She's told how she was left stunned, and a bit disturbed, when her partner rocked up unannounced, and angry, at the grocery store she'd popped into after work. He'd tracked her phone, and sees nothing wrong with his behavior because she missed several calls from him, so something must have been "off."
Sharing your location with your partner can have its advantages, especially from a safety perspective
Image credits: seventyfourimages / envato (not the actual photo)
But one man is taking tracking his fiancée's movements to a whole unhealthy level, and it's affecting their relationship
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Image credits: LightFieldStudios / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: PrettyBrownEyes30
Should couples share their locations with each other?
Image credits: Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)
There are many reasons why some couples choose to share their locations with each other. It could be a matter of safety, or maybe even a way to help their schedules run smoothly. But it's not for everyone. And relationship experts are divided over whether it's a healthy thing to do.
“In my experience counseling couples, I find that it doesn’t build trust, it builds suspicion instead — leading to questions, doubts, and worries,” argues Northern California therapist Kurt Smith. “All of which can turn into distrust of our partner and ruminating thoughts about worst-case scenarios. It also creates dependence on a device rather than communication with our partner and honesty in our relationship.”
Nicole Saunders, therapist and owner of Therapy Charlotte in North Carolina, is pro sharing locations. “It eliminates the need to always wait for a text back or wonder why they’re not responding, which can build frustration,” she explains.
Saunders believes sharing locations is a great practical tool for couples. “If your partner goes for a walk before dinner, you can easily check their location and see that you have enough time to tackle a quick task, or even time dinner to be piping hot on the table when they walk through the door,” she says.
But it really depends on the couple and the dynamics of each relationship. What works for some could backfire horribly for others.
“This can be an easy and effective way to streamline some communication and decrease worry, but it can also be a tool that increases mistrust and anxiety about the security of the relationship,” argues Kaitlin Kindman, a therapist and co-founder and director of the Kindman & Company practice in Los Angeles.
Kindman told Huffington Post that a great sign of a healthy relationship is when couples share their locations with each other but hardly check where their partners are.
“This indicates that you have significant security in your relationship and that you can choose to check locations when it’s truly more convenient or helpful for you both,” she explains.
Of course, the opposite is also true. If one or both partners start getting obsessive and are constantly checking the whereabouts of their SO, it's a red flag. It can lead to distrust, arguments, paranoia, and big problems. And this is when it does more harm than good.
"Creepy": netizens warned the woman to leave ASAP
