A New Study Says Furniture Shopping With Bae Leads To Bickering, So Maybe Go Alone

If you're like most millennial couples living together, you might have come face-to-face with the decision to replace some old furniture, or just go hunting for some more stylish storage options for your DVD collection. Indeed, it sometimes seems as though building a new ottoman from IKEA is the adult equivalent of the trust exercises you used to do in elementary school. Sure, it might seem casual, but it turns out that furniture shopping with your partner might actually do more harm than good for your relationship — at least, according to a new study.

Now, this isn't the first time that furniture has come between couples, and it likely won't be the last. Assembling furniture from IKEA has turned into such a relationship pressure test that a therapist has literally started using it as a pressure test. So, it's really not too surprising that a new study has uncovered that furniture shopping with your significant other might not be the best idea. In fact, the study uncovered that the mere act of going furniture shopping might lead to plenty of arguments between two partners. Article, an online furniture retailer, conducted a survey of 2,000 adult Americans, and found that in one year alone, the average couple will get into about 72 disagreements when it comes to furniture and decor. That's more than one per week on average.

Yikes. That isn't exactly the kind of fun most people picture when they consider picking out a new headboard with bae, but it might just be the truth. According to the study, furniture shopping can bring up a lot of tension in a relationship. But, allow me to break it down for you: Per the study, 21 percent of the people surveyed described their furniture shopping experience with their partner as "annoying." Again, not exactly what you'd want to happen when you're building a life with your partner, but it makes sense.

Think about it: You're at IKEA, or HomeGoods, or wherever, and you and your partner are surrounded by rugs and lamps and chairs and all you really came for is a new nightstand. It's overwhelming, and you suddenly find yourself drowning in price tags, clearance items, and confusing instruction manuals. Your partner decides they want a brown wood nightstand but you'd previously agreed on white. An eye roll turns into an exasperated sigh which turns into a full-on argument right there in the middle of Pier 1!

It's a mess, but the good news from this study is that you're not alone if you and your partner find yourselves constantly arguing while out furniture shopping, or even just talking about furniture or your apartment's design scheme. In total, 21 percent of those surveyed argued about what items to buy, another 21 percent disagreed about the style of the furniture, and 20 percent couldn't find common ground regarding the color scheme of their place.

So, if you and your partner live together, or are in the process of moving in, then think twice about heading to the furniture store together. It might seem fun right now, but if you don't have the same taste in home decor, it might be better to go alone. Maybe you and your significant other are the exception to this rule and you love shopping together! Maybe you aren't. Either way, at least now there is concrete proof that furniture shopping is hella stressful.