Pexels/Warner Bros. TelevisionThose heady early months of a relationship can often feel like a confusing checklist, and – unfortunately – there’s no prescribed route when navigating these waters.
Some couples will start exchanging ‘I love yous’ within a matter of weeks, while others will cautiously hold back the words for months on end. We are all different, and what works perfectly for one pair may seem nightmarish to another.
Now a new study has tracked those bumpy early milestones, measuring the average length of time it takes for a fledgling couple to reach various important – and sometimes quite awkward – markers.
PixabayIn the name of important romance research, 2,000 people were surveyed by From Mars about the time it takes for them to reach various modern dating destinations, including clothes-borrowing, toilet chats and sharing Netflix accounts.
According to this study, it takes women a full seven months to go for a poo in their partner’s home. Men are a little bit more free and easy in this regard, feeling comfortable dropping a doodie in their other half’s toilet after five months.
Similarly, women are okay with farting in front of their significant other after nine months, a feat that will take blokes just eight months. Both sexes will take an average of seven months to open up about their sexual history.
In what is arguably quite encouraging news, men will take less time than women to get comfy chatting about periods, taking just six months compared to the seven months specified by women. This certainly puts into question the idea that men are automatically squeamish about such matters.
Public Domain PicturesSadly, this study suggests women are significantly more self-conscious about baring all; taking a full eight months to feel relaxed being naked in front of their lover, compared with the five months reported by male participants.
One finding that honestly did surprise me was the relatively short amount of time it took for men to share their food.
Women are a bit stingier in this regard, stating five months to be an appropriate time to start being generous with their chips, compared with the four months expressed by men. Clearly I’ve been looking in all the wrong places in this regard.
Getting lax with personal grooming takes a substantial amount of time for both sexes. Women reckon the 12-month mark is a good time to stop grooming their pubes, with men reckoning this is more around the nine-month anniversary.
PxhereOf course, every couple is different and if you are someone happy whipping off your pants in a brightly-lit room on the first date – after having shared a starter – then all power to you.
Find out more about the results of this study here.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.