Life Talk

Why does every couple I know fight about the thermostat?

Genuine question. Married 28 years and the single most consistent argument in our house is not money, children or in-laws. It's the thermostat.

She thinks 72°F is reasonable. I think 72°F is a tropical rainforest. Every evening, a small cold war conducted by quietly adjusting a plastic dial.

Medically, people do feel temperature differently, and it can depend on body size, muscle mass, age and plenty of other things. So nobody's wrong. That doesn't help me at 11pm under a duvet that could insulate a submarine.

How do other couples settle this? Separate blankets? Separate rooms? Divorce lawyers?