“Why didn’t you just say so?” People use indirect opposition to assess partner commitment.

Rather than directly confronting their partners, people often use indirect strategies (e.g., making sarcastic comments, muttering under their breath, being passively aggressive). Yet, whereas directly confronting a partner can bring about desired change, indirect opposition tends to undermine relationship quality without bringing about subsequent change. So, why do people engage in indirect opposition? We suggest one reason is to obtain diagnostic information about their partner's commitment. We