I think it's true for me. I'm perfectly at ease with my life when I'm single, but sometimes I feel like everything else just clicks a little better for me when I'm in a good relationship.

Does anyone else ever feel that way?

Or is it just hormones?

Yes I think it goes for me as well. Even when I'm fine on my own, doing things and being happy, being in a relationship does bring this extra joy. More inspiration. The joy of being together, sharing, co-creating, gives me that little extra :)

definitely YES!!

Well ...being in a relationship definitely make some parts in my life a little better...
Lol.. four hands are better than two..lol

Yes, definitely.

i think it definitely so. but then i think a good relationship is more than the sum of it's parts.

If nothing else, our entire society is designed around people being paired up.

In addition to being fun (hopefully) and easier to perform life chores when you have a teammate, when everyone knows you are paired, disruptions like whether or not to worry about sexual attraction is eliminated from all exchanges. Who is in charge of what, is preset, for the most part. All sorts of status-based concerns are resolved in ways that most people recognize.

And more than anything else, one HUGE part of the all-important "I am on the right track with my life" sensibility is resolved positively.

No.
Compatible people, people that are effective mirrors, supporters, communicators, emoters, and listeners do.


I think it might depend on what people focus on from their previous relationships.
I mean someone may read the OP and focus on the fights that ended their last 3 relationships or something.

Some may just read it on a dating site while they are seeking a relationship and then fantasize themselves into the relationship in their head and think about how they "would" behave or feel and rationalize that it "would" bring out the best of them, so they tell you that relationships do bring out the best in them.


It could be.
I mean if none of your past relationships lasted more than 6 months and all you remember is how happy you were for a short time and your own happiness and how you acted motivated by it is what you classify as "the best in you" then it might just be the hormones.

Yep same I fell sometime

I can be just as happy being single as I am in a relationship. I’m not going to DEEpend on somebody else for my happiness. I choose to be happy each and every day that God gives me, and when I’m feeling lonely I have my family and friends . I’ve DEEcided to wait for as long as it takes to find the RIGHT person for me and not settle for anything less than I DEEserve

I've made major changes in my life philosophy since my last significant relationship.
I've been alone for a long time.
I have no idea how I might change with a significant relationship.
I want to imagine my life will have a finer quality than it does right now.
I really can't be sure.
I know I am willing to try to find out.

After being married for 25 years, one of the things I had to deal with is rediscovering myself as myself.
I had to shift from a 'we' mindset to a 'me' mindset.
It was more than just trying to remember who I was.
I had to accept the loss of companionship at an intimate level.
I had to rewrite my life handbook.

I found that there were many aspects about me that were only effective to my contentment while they were shared with someone I love. Alone, there was a loss of appeal and I had to adapt to those new conditions to regain my inner peace.
While I can still enjoy some of the things, I enjoy them for markedly different reasons.

Its my expectation that when I do find someone special, There will be another shift in my reasons and levels of contentment. We will discover things that give us joy merely by sharing the experience.
Things that might be mundane when viewed from being single.

There is also the expectation that things I find joy in now will be enhanced. Birdsong will sound much sweeter, rain will taste more vivid and sunsets will have more substance when sharing them with someone I love.

Above all, tho, will be the ever-present feeling that I belong to life. That I am not invisible, that I matter to someone. That someone wants to be in my presence, not for reason but for love.
A deep understanding that is shared between two people in such a way that we feel we are two halves of one being.

I enjoy my man friend, no relationship but friendship. Having long talks and enjoying dinner, movies etc.

Relationships often fail, without friendship First.

Men move on quickly most often when women want to put them in a committed relationship.

Should have seen that coming!

I think a good relationship in any walk of life, romantic or not, gives us a certain boost to our self-efficacy.

So I’ll say yes.

The pragmatic answer is always appreciated.

All great reasons for what appears to be a fairly common reaction to being half of a couple. Thanks!

Some different perspectives.

All good points.

Personally, my relationships have been few and long term. The longevity of a relationship would definitely be a key factor to determine if this feeling is true or induced by chocolate...I mean love. Lol!

That was lovely Tom4Uhere. I raise my glass in a toast of rainwater to that!

Agree. I'm with you. I would not try to find happiness through a relationship. The only relationships that have ever seemed "right" to me, grew organically.

I like being in a relationship, but can like being single too. I'm a different kind of happy when single. An empowered, "master of my universe" kind of happy.

When in a relationship, it's more of a team effort type of happy, with the added bonus of having someone to share my happy with. I suppose that's really the defining edge relationship happy has on single happy for me.

It all depends on the relationship.

Can't say it brings out the best in me... But it does bring out a side that most will not see unless I'm in a relationship...