The Basic Elements for Marriage to Thrive

Relationship Design, Simplicity

In March 2009 I conducted a brief research survey looking to discover what basic elements are necessary for a marriage or committed relationship to thrive.
After surveying 1028 participants, here’s what the research discovered.
Top 10 basic elements

  1. Communication
  2. Trust
  3. Love
  4. Respect
  5. Commitment
  6. Honesty
  7. Humor/Laughter
  8. Sex
  9. Friendship
  10. Compatibility

A few demographic details about the respondents –

Male – 404 respondents – or 40%

Female – 617 respondents – or 60%

81% or the respondents were currently married with 7% cohabitating. Average length of current relationship was 10.8 years and 64% of the respondents had children.

In case you’re wondering – the actual research question was:
What are the basic elements necessary for a marriage/committed relationship to thrive? (list up to 6)
What’s your thought?