Everyone loves—or at least is familiar with—the sitcom trope of a married couple who constantly bickers. From Seinfeld’s parents to Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond, to the leads of one of the originators of the medium, I Love Lucy’s Ricky and Lucy and Ethel and Fred. These iconic pairs have entertained us for decades. What’s unique about these marriages is that they show us, in rapid-fire succession, instances of connection, disconnection, and reconnection. Yes, they fight and annoy each other, but they are couples that stay together and have for years. Why? The answer lies in their ability to repair. Sure, they’re often arguing over silly hijinks and heightened comedic circumstances (it is, after all, situational comedy), but we gravitate toward it because it’s soothing. A consistent cycle of harmony, disharmony, and repair.