As women grow older, daughter becomes the favorite

[bemildred]

This seems like empty wind to me, but I am curious what other people think.

A study of cellphone calls and text messages finds that as women age, their focus shifts from their husband to their adult daughter.

Gentlemen, take note: If your wife has stopped calling you as much as she used to and you feel like you're being replaced, you might be right to suspect that there's someone else in her life. But it's not another man — it's another woman. And she's probably your own daughter.

While men tend to maintain a woman as their closest confidant throughout their adult lives, women's focus shifts from their spouse to their adult daughter as they age, according to an analysis of nearly 2 billion cellphone calls and almost half a billion text messages.

The findings, released Thursday by the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that women's urge to ensure the survival of their genes may be connected with the nature of, and shift in, these intimate relationships.

Identifying the most important people in someone's life is a tricky task for researchers, said Ruth Mace, an evolutionary anthropologist at University College London who was not involved in the study.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-best-friends-20120420,0,2244358.story

[Jefferson23]

1. Hi ya bemildred, fyi, your link is off. n/t

[bemildred]

4. Fixed thanks.

[Jefferson23]

8. You're welcome. I'm not sure what to make of the OP, doesn't seem like an

unusual shift, and maybe I missed something but I would not take this shift to mean
there is trouble between the married partners..just different.

There is a mention how grandfathers are not so involved with their
grandchildren....that's b/c they never knew mine...he was awesome.
I suspect there are more involved grandfathers than this seems to
suggest.

[bemildred]

9. Yes, I don't think it means much of anything.

They equate talking a lot with being most significant other, and I find that very questionable.

[Warpy]

2. The husband is a dependent

especially once he stops working and if he hasn't developed any interests outside work. He must be cared for. Since he no longer plays the breadwinner role, his importance can diminish pretty sharply. This is another reason for the Pox News/Limbaugh demographic of bitter old male retirees, they've become superfluous to just about everybody and, lacking the inner resources to stand on their own, can't stand it and sink into free floating rage.

The daughter, on the other hand, slowly becomes Mom's caretaker and confidante. If she had no daughters, then it's a favored daughter in law.

So guys, if you don't like the looks of this future (and what sane person would?), begin right now to develop a passion outside work, something you can throw yourself into when your working days are done. If you don't, your wife will start regarding you as the child of her old age and worst of all, the Republicans will get you!

[bemildred]

6. Or better yet, become addicted to DU.

[seabeyond]

3. everything does not go to beginning of time. a daughter is closest and understands the woman stuff,

a man does not get, never did get, doesnt want to get. the daughter does. and loves. and is open to discussion. and LIKES to think/talk.

[bemildred]

5. Well, yeah, seems obvious.

Nobody would question Dad and Junior doing guy stuff together, or drinking beer and watching sports, but women talking on the phone, oh my goodness.

But also, old couples come to know each other well, and don't need to talk much, they already know the answers, a comfortable silence is not the same thing as alienation at all.

[seabeyond]

10. that is how i see it. agreed. nt

[annabanana]

7. (natural self-preservation adaptation)

Think about it.

[SwissTony]

11. How about hubbie's still at home and doesn't need to be called? He's only 2 yards away,

Adult daughter has left home.

No Nobel for this one.

[bemildred]

12. That works. nt

[d_r]

13. as women get older

they and their husbands retire, so they are sitting right there so why should they call them?