The Rules of Love, 3rd Edition

RULE 53

Don’t be a nag

I saw some interesting research recently, which showed that if you nag someone to do something they are actually less likely to do it than if you don’t nag them. I can’t say it really surprised me – I know how I feel about being nagged.

The fact is that nagging is pointless. If your partner isn’t going to do whatever it is because they love you, they’re certainly not going to do it because you nag them. All you’ll achieve is resentment and a deterioration in your relationship and that’s not going to help either of you.

You’re just going to have to come up with another way to get it done. Maybe if you tried getting off their back, they would do the thing eventually – in their own time. Perhaps you just need to adapt to ...