As if you needed further proof that people who prefer Pepsi over Coke are sociopaths flawed, a new study suggests that “brand incompatibility” can actually be detrimental to your relationship.
A team at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business tracked couples for years, Foodandwine.com reports, and examined brand preferences for products (i.e. Starbucks vs. Dunkin’, Coke vs. Pepsi.) The findings, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, found that while someone probably won’t break up with her boyfriend for offering her a Pepsi after a long, hard day when she literally hates Pepsi and has told him a million times (okay, I’m embellishing), it certainly won’t help matters.
A different preference in brands can grate on a relationship, especially if the person with less power continually loses out on their brand of choice.
“11 years into a relationship, when he or she keeps coming home with Pepsi, day in and day out, it might start to cause a little conflict,” the study asserts. “And if you’re the low-power person in the relationship, who continually loses out on brands and is stuck with your partner’s preferences, you are going to be less happy.”
*tries to imagine staying with a partner who buys Pepsi over Coke*
