Monogamy is only as important to marital bliss as watching TV together, a survey of couples who have been together for at least a decade suggests.
The results found devoting yourself to a single partner only narrowly beat going out for country walks together when it comes to what makes a happy and long-lasting relationship.
Instead, sharing a similar sense of humour, comfortable silences and being friends were considered for more critical for ensuring couples go the distance.
These are the findings of a survey of 2,000 Britons who had been with their partner for at least 10-years.
It found friendship was the most commonly agreed factor for a long lasting relationship, with 80 per cent of couples considering it essential.
Coming second was loyalty, with 58 per cent of couples ranking this as vital, followed by sharing a similar sense of humour at 51 per cent.
In contrast, less than half (41 per cent) of couples ranked monogamy as important to a relationship, and watching TV together got the same score.
Another surprising low scorer was intimacy, with only about a third (35 per cent) of couples considering it necessary for an eduring relationship.
Monogamy is only as important to marital bliss as watching TV together, a survey of people who have been together for at least a decade suggests. Stock image
Healthy ‘mickey taking’ (33 per cent) also featured in the top 10 secrets to a long-term relationship alongside cooking together (27 per cent) and shared hobbies (21 per cent).
The survey, carried out by furniture store DFS, also found over half (56 per cent) of the couples said passion in a relationship is overrated.
While intimacy may have ranked low in this survey, prior research has suggested having sex seven times a month is the secret to happiness.
Meanwhile, a seperate 2023 poll of 2,000 UK couples in long-term relationships found 43 per cent couples said having no secrets was the key to a happy marriage, with 31 per cent advising never to go to sleep on an argument.
Another fascinating study, where 2,500 couples were followed for six years, found age, previous relationships and smoking habits were all factors that determined if a relationship would go the distance.
Australian researchers found relationships in which a husband was nine years older than his wife were twice as likely to end in divorce, as were those where the husband married before turning 25.
Additionally, a fifth of couples who had children before marriage, either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship, later separated.
This compared to only one in 10 couples who waited to tie the knot before having a family.
In contrast, experts found factors like country of birth, religious background and education levels were not important in determining if a couple would stay together.
