10 critical questions you should ask your boyfriend before the relationship gets serious
We've all had to have those awkward conversations
FROM the first date to the first baby relationships all go through certain stages.
There’s the initial spark, then the honeymoon period, and finally you live together and learn all their bad habits.
With ups and downs along the way, it can be difficult to judge how you’re progressing.
And with some many options in terms of lifestyle, aspirations and even people, it can be hard to know if you and your partner are on the same page.
Which is where new research from the University of Exeter comes in.
Researchers have come up with 10 key questions you should ask yourself, or your partner, to check how you’re bumping along.
10 questions to ask in a relationship
- Are my partner and I a ‘good fit’?
- Do we have a strong basis of friendship?
- Do we want the same things in our relationship and out of life?
- Are our expectations realistic? Do we generally see the best in each other?
- Do we both work at keeping our relationship vibrant?
- Do we both feel we can discuss things freely and raise issues with each other?
- Are we both committed to working through hard times?
- When we face stressful circumstances would we pull together to get through it?
- Do we each have supportive others around us?
Professor Anne Barlow, who led the research, said: “Of course every relationship is different, and it is important that couples build relationships that are meaningful to them, but we found thriving relationships share some fundamental qualities.
“Mostly the couple have chosen a partner with whom they are a “good fit” and have ways of successfully navigating stressful times.
“These 10 critical questions can help people as they decide if they are compatible with a person they are considering sharing their life with and flag the importance of dealing with issues when they arise as well as of nurturing the relationship over time.”
Divorce lawyer Baroness Shackleton told the that in 50 per cent of cases, people divorced soon after getting married as they suddenly found they were ‘incompatible’ with their partners.
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