Researchers at Purdue University have discovered the number one way to tell if you are in a healthy relationship.
According to the study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, couples who place a high value on friendship with their partner are more committed, more in love and more sexually satisfied than those who aren’t friends with their BF or GF.
To arrive at this conclusion, 190 students who had been in a relationship for an average of 18 months filled out surveys to gauge how dedicated they were in their relationship, how much they had invested in the relationship and where they hoped it would go, Women’s Health reports.
Four months after the study, the researchers observed that 27 percent of the students that participated in the study were no longer with the same person. The researchers also observed that those who were still together were more likely to score high in the friendship, romantic commitment, love, and sexual satisfaction elements.
In another study of 184 students who had been in a relationship for at 16 months, the researchers found that those who said friendship was crucial in a relationship also scored higher for romantic commitment and sexual fulfillment.
So the bottom line of the research is that for your relationship to work, your partner also has to be your best friend.
Phil