Ask different couple’s what the secret to a happy relationship is, and I bet you will end up with many different answers.
To some, a happy relationship might be sharing the same hobbies and passion, to others it might be raising a family together or to some again it might be all down to a steamy hot sex life and feeding each other oysters in bed.
Different strokes for different folks in other words.
The thing is, a study has just revealed the No.1 secret to everlasting happiness, and we must admit we are a little, eh, deflated.
Are you ready? The secret to a happy relationship is… settling.
And guys, we are not talking settling down in a cute little house kind of settling, but settling for your partner and accepting that, unless Ryan Gosling rides in on a white horse and declares his undying love, you’re unlikely to find anything better.
Well, how not sexy is that for a love secret?!
In a study entitled ‘What predicts romantic relationship satisfaction and mate retention intensity: mate preference fulfillment or mate value discrepancies?’, author Daniel Conroy-Beam said it’s all about ‘mate value discrepancy.’
It seems mate value discrepancies appear to have important and reliable effects on relationship satisfaction, meaning that apps like Tinder, where we are constantly presented with a wide pool of potential mates, can make it more difficult for people to apply proper ‘mate value discrepancy’ and therefore feel fulfilled in the relationship they are in.
So that’s it then, guys. Don’t hold out for Ryan Gosling and settle for reality. (And in fairness; Ryan is bound to be really boring, isn’t he? I mean; you can’t look like him and be funny too!)
What does a happy relationship mean to YOU? Time to get soppy and share your thoughts with us in the comments!
