In the tense moments of a rom-com, the estranged couple will glance mournfully at each other at inopportune times—sometimes until the distracted Brad Pitt character gets hit by a car. In others, the partners will shirk communication and shrug to the point where the viewer feels like shaking Paul Mescal’s mumbling character in Normal People and telling the two to just talk to each other.
Whether it be in When Harry Met Sally or an office, easily avoided miscommunication can damage a relationship. At the extreme, employees and their managers can act like a dysfunctional couple, where one partner thinks they are offering appreciation and praise and the other partner feels unseen and undervalued.
