How to keep your relationship alive

on February 22, 2016 at 1:20 am

How to keep your relationship alive

A short survey

Another February fourteenth has come and gone. Couples all over bought roses, necklaces and enough candy Sweethearts to stretch from the love capital of the world Rome, to Valentine, Arizona at least 40 times, according to a study done by The History Channel. It seems like relationships all around are thriving as they are celebrating valentine’s day. But what if you were not part of the 62 percent of adults who say they celebrated the holiday? What if this year, you fell into the “single” category? Don’t worry, you are not alone, and because you are not alone I decided to do a little research and figure out what keeps a relationship alive.

I asked 10 questions to Utah college students via a Facebook survey to determine what keeps a relationship alive. I split up the data by female and male responses. These were free-response questions and we got a lot of different answers, but there are some interesting patterns.

1) What is the number one thing you look for in a potential partner?

For this question, most of the male responses fall into three main categories: personality, emotional connection, and personal values. But the female responses were a little different: their highest three categories were personality, personal values and trust. Women tended to place more emphasis on emotional and spiritual characteristics.

2) Is it okay if your partner tells his/her friends when you get in a fight?

From here on out the pink graphs are female responses and the blue are male responses. It might be wise to take notes so you will know how to keep your relationship alive.

We asked this question on a one to 10 scale, one being a stern “no” and a 10 was a “yes.”

How to keep your relationship alive survey

From these charts you can see that the men are more open than the women. This could mean that women prefer to keep their relationships private, or at least they want their partner to keep their relationship private.

3) Is it okay if your partner has close friends of the opposite sex?

The answers to this question indicate that men are more comfortable with their partners having close friends of the opposite sex, but not by much. Both sexes seem to be territorial.

4) How much can your partner let himself/herself go after you get hitched?

No big shocker here: boys will be boys. The majority of men expect their partners to stay in shape throughout their marriage. Women are more open to to the idea of weight gain and decreased muscle definition.

5) What is the perfect first date?

The answers to this question varied. We received answers from dinner and a movie to anything but dinner and a movie, plus bowling, picnic on top of a mountain and skydiving. The general consensus of every response was something fun, where you can talk and get to know each other. Maybe something a little adventurous to set you apart from other dates.

6) How important are looks?

I assumed the male response would be high on average, but I didn’t think women would place so much importance on looks. In response to an earlier question, they said personality and values were the biggest deal breakers. The graph depicts that there is some truth in this, but probably not as much as women think. Bottom line is that looks matter and it is wise to clean up before a date.

7) How important is your partner’s potential annual income?

Now the biggest question for college kids: How does your major affect your dating life? It may be the ambition associated with a higher-paying major, but women care more about the earning potential of their partner than men. This holds true even in 2016, when more women are graduating from universities and entering the work force than ever before.

8) What is the correct amount of time to date before you get engaged?

After you know you have found the one, when should you pop the big question? Surprisingly men say that 5-8 months is enough time, but women want a little bit more time to be sure.