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Mostly it’s just a way to learn more about your partner’s life and a jumping off point for further discussion
Much like how a Stasi officer asking what you've been reading is looking for literary recommendations.
Can you give an example of when answering this question honestly led to negative consequences?
It's in the aggregate, where the best possible result is maintaining the status quo, and the likely result is a downgrade. Those add up.
Can you give an example of a situation where this led to a downgrade?
I respond with something negative, she thinks less of me, repeat X times, the relationship is done.
What is an example of a negative thing you might have responded with?
Difficulties, frustrations, defeats. If you want specifics, tough luck, I haven't been in a serious relationship in years, because fuck that noise.
It's the sort of thing where she starts asking how your day was as a proxy for wondering if you're about to make her day bad as well, if you coming home tends to make her day worse. If you manage to express that your day was up to this point bad, but that it's better now that you're home, and you're not planning to make her day significantly worse by exuding fury for the next hour, then it's fine.
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