Benefits of Being in a Relationship: 8 Reasons Why You Should Want It

Sworn singles will certainly deny it, but being in a relationship certainly has its advantages. Scientific research has even been done into this and these studies have shown that if you are single, you still lose out on a number of points.

Benefits of a relationship

So what exactly are the benefits of having a steady, long-term relationship? One says that you sleep longer when you are in a relationship, the other talks about the feel-good hormones that make you feel better. We are happy to present the advantages to you.

1. Increased production of dopamine and testosterone

In men who have just started a new relationship and are therefore madly in love, an increased concentration of dopamine and testosterone is measured. This makes them feel happy, relaxed and healthy. And of course it also makes them want sex more often , but that is only logical if you have just started a new relationship.

As a man, you feel like you can take on the world. Unfortunately, this increased production does not last very long. The brain gets used to the positive feeling and then stops stimulating a higher production of these hormones. And then the hormones slowly return to normal levels, after which the ‘love’ hormone comes into play.

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2. Married men live longer

Several studies have shown that men in a relationship live longer than men who have never had a steady relationship or whose relationship has ended . This is partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle. In practice, it comes down to the fact that women often pay more attention to healthy nutrition. ¹

A man also often wants to look good for his wife and that automatically means that he must live a healthy life. Single men generally drink more alcohol, are more careless in traffic and are more likely to take health risks, several studies have shown. 

3. Emotional support in a relationship

For men, it is more important to have a relationship when it comes to emotional support. Women usually have a larger network for this. They have girlfriends, sisters or their mothers to whom they can go to discuss things. For men, this is much less the case.

When a man is single, he often has fewer people in his immediate environment with whom he can discuss problems. Even if a man has friends, he usually does not approach these friends when he is struggling with something. This also explains why single men end up in social isolation more often than women.

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4. People in relationships are often more prosperous

Research has shown that people in relationships are often more prosperous than singles. This is partly because someone who has a higher education usually looks for a partner who has the same higher level of education . Two well-educated people usually earn a good income.

Higher educated people marry more often than lower educated people and stay together longer. A higher family income also gives the opportunity to work less, in order to better combine work with the household or family.

5. You have a confidant

If you are in a long-term committed relationship , regardless of whether you are married, in most cases this means that your partner is a confidant for you. There is always someone with whom you can discuss matters. Whether it is a conflict at work or because you are worried about your health.

Because there is always someone you can fall back on, you are often less stressed and that has a generally positive impact on your health. That is why people in a steady relationship often experience better health than people who are single or who have only had short-term relationships.

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6. The feeling that someone is taking care of you

When you are in a relationship, you often have the comforting feeling that someone is there to take care of you. Even though you are the most caring person in the relationship, you often experience that your partner is there for you when something bad happens. ⁴

Couples often like to spoil or surprise each other. This can be with very simple things like breakfast or the simple fact that your partner has emptied the dishwasher or hung up the laundry. The idea that you are not alone in everything can make you feel a lot better.

7. More opportunities to do fun things

Although there are plenty of singles who enjoy themselves alone, also known as masturdating , the general trend is that a couple goes out together more often. Eating out as a couple, going to the movies or taking a walk along the beach is just that little bit more fun. The same applies to going on holiday or even visiting family or friends.

As a single person, some people sometimes feel a bit lost, especially when they are surrounded by exclusively couples and feel like they are the fifth wheel. Because you live a more enjoyable life as part of a couple, this also has a positive effect on your well-being and therefore on your health.

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8. The best medicine against loneliness

Although you can feel very lonely in a bad relationship , a good relationship is the best medicine against it. People who are lonely often withdraw into their own world. They no longer go out, no longer do fun things. Every day is the same and contains the same routine. This can be numbing and eventually cause someone to become depressed.

If loneliness takes extreme forms, it can ultimately result in someone dying and no one noticing. This is an extreme situation, but it does indicate that if you are in a relationship and have more focus on life, you will lead a happier life than if you are unhappy and single.

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Does a relationship have any disadvantages at all?

Of course, there are also disadvantages to having a permanent relationship, but they are still far in the minority. For example, you may experience a relationship as oppressive because you cannot always do what you want. After all, you have to take into account what your partner wants. This applies to choosing the color of the sofa or the holiday destination, but also to more important decisions such as moving to another city or completely changing your life in terms of career.

All these decisions are easier when you are alone. But in general, for many people, these benefits do not outweigh the positive things they experience from being in a committed relationship. And that’s exactly why so many people are hastily looking for a relationship: better today than tomorrow.

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