Lasting loving relationship: humility is the secret

The time that a relationship will last can be linked to several characteristics, such as trust, loyalty and sincerity.

Although love is the factor most related to affective relationships, there is another essential characteristic for happiness in the relationship.

It is about humility. This was the result of a study by researchers at the University of Michigan, USA.

According to the authors, the characteristic is necessary for a relationship to last and the couple to be happy.

The researchers point out that, due to humility, it is possible that the partner is aware of their abilities, able to accept their own mistakes and also better understand the mistakes of others.

Together, these factors act directly on the couple’s coexistence, because in the study, people considered more humble had a greater chance of forgiving others, making the relationship last longer.

Read more: Happiness in marriage may be linked to genetics, study suggests

A simple method

The method that the authors used in the study was done in a simple way, but important enough to provide clear information for the result.

The first step was to select 284 couples and, from there, analyze two things: humility and forgiveness.

They carried out a questionnaire with questions about how humble each one considered himself and if there would be forgiveness if his partner did something wrong.

In order not to generate errors, the results were crossed. In other words, it was compared whether people who considered themselves humble were also identified as such by their partner.

As a result of the study, the humble were more likely to forgive their partner in some difficulty.

This increases the chances of the relationship lasting longer.

On the other hand, participants who considered their partner “not humble”, were more likely to end the relationship, as they had difficulty in forgiving.


From the result of the study, it was possible to see how individual behavior is linked to the way that the relationship can develop.

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