Romance Report
Most Men and Women Believe in the Enduring Power of Attraction
Romance Report.When we open a magazine, turn on the news or go to a gossip website, we're more likely to see a story about the latest celebrity fling than we are the scoop on a couple's decades-spanning bond. This isn't because those kinds of relationships don't exist in Hollywood—it's more because those long-lasting romances lack that titillating dish factor.
Still, despite this onslaught of relationship scandals—infidelity, odd hookups, trash-talking of former spouses—we non-celebrity folk have somehow maintained a pretty positive outlook on relationships.
In fact, most of us believe that romantic bonds can stand the test of time, at least according to research done by Glo, along with Chemistry.com and YourTango.com. Their survey was completed by over 20,000 people and analyzed by leading biological anthropologist and relationship expert Dr. Helen Fisher.
Results showed an overwhelming sense of hopefulness about the ability to maintain a long-lasting, loving relationship: Nearly 89 percent of men and women believe that a person's attraction to his or her partner changes over time, but 90 percent also think that this attraction can be rekindled over the years. Read on for more key findings from our survey.
Men Actually Do Like To Talk
Shockingly, survey results debunked some long-held gender stereotypes about relationships, specifically the role that communication plays in maintaining and rekindling attraction.
* Among both men and women, 81 percent of respondents cited "talking about the relationship" as the number one way to reignite attraction.
* Although it may be true that women are more emphatic about to communicating than men are, guys believe that talking about issues is the best way to solve them.
Kindness (And Sexual Attraction) Is Key
Another unforeseen finding was that men and women are attracted to the same overall characteristics. Results showed that both genders place the most weight on kindness, sense of humor, smile and sexual chemistry when meeting someone for the first time.
* “Sexual chemistry” ranked highest for men as the most important factor of initial attraction (68.4 percent)
* “Kindness” ranked highest for women as the most important factor of initial attraction (85.4 percent)
* There was less than two percentage points' difference between how men and women ranked sexual chemistry, in terms of its importance in creating initial attraction (68.4 and 67.5 percent, respectively)
* When it comes to maintaining attraction over time, both genders ranked “kindness” as the most important trait.
Sex Really Matters
Speaking of sexual chemistry, our survey's respondents believe that the sexual aspects of a relationship are very important, both in the beginning and over time.
* Of those surveyed, 80 percent reported that sexual attraction is necessary to fall in love.
* Among respondents, 88 percent reported that sexual attraction is necessary for a successful marriage.
* Men were more likely than women to believe that sexual attraction itself could sustain a relationship over time.
Source:glo.msn.com
