2,984 Couples Reveal the Secrets of Lasting Relationships
By Elizabeth Hanes In our unceasing
quest to bring you the news you
need to live your life in a more fulfilling, Oprah-like manner, we recently
polled nearly three thousand North American couples to find out what makes
relationships work. OK, maybe "polled" is too strong a word. Actually,
a group of us sat around the office late at night, sipping vodka gimlets
and randomly dialing telephone numbers. But the results were astounding!
Take a look.
- 99% of
men said "mediocre or better" sex, or having sex at least 8 times a
week (regardless of quality), was the key factor that kept them committed
to a woman. (1% of the respondents did not speak English or French and,
hence, could not understand the question.)
- 55% of
women said "signing a prenuptial agreement" was the most important factor
in maintaining a committed relationship
78% of married women cited "having my feelings and opinions heard and considered" by their mate as the most important factor in a relationship
- 86% of
married men said "pretending to listen and care about her feelings"
was the most important factor in getting sex from their mate
- 43% of
men felt having their wife or girlfriend "dress up as Anne Robinson"
for sex would help keep them satisfied
- 89% of
women claimed not to know who Anne Robinson is and sobbed over why their
husband or boyfriend had to fantasize about someone besides them
- 94% of
men felt a woman's "inability to control her emotions" made them want
to "pull back" from a relationship
- 97% of
women felt "all men are too immature to have a fulfilling relationship"
- 72% of
men said "that's it, I'm going to the bar, and now I suppose you'll
be calling your mother"
- 99% of
women then "called their mothers"
- 96% of
men stayed overnight with "friends"
- 93% of
women threw their mate's belongings "out on the front lawn for him to
come and get"
- 67% of
men's buddies urged their friend to "reconsider leaving the cash cow"
- 98% of
women were willing to make the first "conciliatory phone call"
- 92% of
men moved back in, promising "never to leave the toilet seat up"
- 100% of women agreed the "toilet seat issue" was the most difficult aspect to negotiate in a relationship
We hope you're able to put these statistics to good use in your relationship. Remember, numbers never lie, and nothing's more normal than average.
