Key points

In the peak-end rule, people tend to judge whole relationships by a few intense high and low emotional points.

Ending moments positively alters relationship memories toward closeness.

Focus on repair attempts during and after conflict to create positive emotional peaks.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s “ peak-end rule” describes a kind of bias in how we recall experiences: We tend to judge an event not by its totality, but by two moments . The first is the emotional high (or low) point, and the second is the ending.

A vacation, for example, may be remembered as “fantastic” because of one breathtaking hike and a serene final day, even if most of it was unremarkable. Conversely, the painful final months of a relationship can overshadow years of warmth, making the entire s

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