7 Things All Men Need In A Relationship
Below are various ways to give a man what he wants in a relationship. If you can apply all of these to your relationship, then you can guarantee your relationship will be a healthy one and your man will appreciate your effort.
WHAT MEN WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP
ATTRACTION
While this piece of advice might seem very obvious, many people easily fall into relationships that are just convenient even though there is no strong attraction there. Early on, there are ways that you can inadvertently lessen his attraction to you.
This can happen if you are way too needy or demanding. If you push him away too much or play mind games with him, then he could end up losing his attraction to you. Desperation is a huge attraction killer as well. While you should be willing to do things for him, you should also maintain your self-respect.
So how do you keep an attraction strong if there is one? Be yourself and let things happen naturally. Allow your fun and relaxed side to shine through. Men love confidence and when you can let things roll off your back. Attraction is not all about looks. It is also about the attitude you have.
Needless to say, a positive outlook on life is attractive while a constant negative attitude on things can be a huge turnoff to men. If you are positive, then he will be likely to feel positive as well and that can only help your relationship.
Do not try to force or rush things in your relationship. If you try too hard to impress him or if you rush the relationship way too fast, you just might end up turning him off and scaring him away.
EMOTIONAL INTIMACY
Most men do not like to show their feelings all the time, but they do have the few people they can open up to. Their significant others should be people that they can open up to. Something that a man will really want in a relationship is for you to be his safe space.
A sign of a strong relationship is where he can open up to you emotionally. Do not worry if this does not happen right away. It can sometimes even take years for this type of emotional intimacy to develop.
He needs to know that you will not be disgusted if he breaks down and cries in front of you. If you do make him feel like he cannot be vulnerable with you, then his trust for you will fade away. A man wants a woman who can see the cracks in his armor and will still love him anyway.
Emotional intimacy also applies to the feeling you and your significant other have for each other. Do not be afraid to tell him that you care about him, especially as the relationship progresses later on.
If a guy wants to be in a relationship, it means that he does not just want the physical intimacy. He wants to be emotionally close to you as well. And that means that he wants your heart.
RESPECT
It can be easy and sometimes even fun to bicker with and tease the opposite gender, but we have to be mindful when our respective others are concerned. You can make a joke or two, but consider your man’s feelings.
We have all heard the gender stereotypes that are out there. Do yourself a favor and do not belittle your significant other. You probably would not like to be belittled either. Sometimes this might happen accidentally. Be careful of being overly critical with him. It is not good if you do not make him feel good about himself.
For a good number of men, respect and love go hand in hand. These men need respect in their love lives and the respect that you show him will also show your love for him as well.
After all, if you do not respect him, then do you truly love him? If you do not respect him, then he will feel unloved, anxious, and frustrated among other things.
Another part of respect is seeing him as your equal. That means not treating him like a child. Do not treat him like a little boy or compare him to the other guys out there who are stronger, smarter, better looking, wealthier, and so on. Remember that people deserve respect, and that goes double for those who are in a relationship.
Be aware of how you are with the opposite gender. While you should be able to have other friends, it is typically considered disrespectful to flirt with other people whether or not your guy is also there to see it.
The best rule of thumb is to consider how you would want to be treated and apply that to how you treat the guy in your life. Having a mutual, deep sense of respect for each other will be really healthy for your relationship.
PRAISE
We all have a bit of an ego and men are no different. Even the most confident seeming man could use some reassurance now and then. Whether it is about themselves, their careers, how good they are in bed, or how they are as partners, men love to be praised.
While men typically do not need as much praise as women, being praised by their significant others can positively impact their confidence and self-esteem.
Congratulate your guy for a good job done at work or at home and make him feel great about the things that he is good at. Whether he is really strong or witty, let him know that he is special.
If he is the main breadwinner in the relationship, let him know that you appreciate his hard work and what he does for your household. And if he is not, acknowledge him for the other contributions that he has made to the life that the two of you share together as a couple.
Men love to be appreciated and recognized for the things they do whether they are large or small, and it is always best when the praise comes from a significant other. It lets them know that they are doing something right.
ACCEPTANCE
Men. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. It can be frustrating when they do not always load up the dishwasher right or when they fail to remember to do little thing that are just second nature to you. But you love your special man anyway, right? Let him know that you accept him.
Most grown men are set in their ways and are not looking for someone who will want to drastically change them. Sure, we all have our flaws and our significant others can help us become better people but there is a limit to that. You should not want your man to be a completely different person.
Remember, no healthy man wants a woman who will act like their mother. Do not baby and belittle him if you want a healthy relationship. Allow him to feel like a man and accept him for the unique person that he is. After all, you chose him for a reason.
A PHYSICAL CONNECTION
While women typically connect better through the act of communication, men are known to typically connect better through the act of physical intimacy. Being intimate is an important part of many relationships.
Many men want to feel needed in their relationships and they often want their needs met as well. Ideally, that physical connection should be present as that can make a relationship very strong.
When you get further into a relationship, it can be easy to feel like the flame has gone out. Do not let yourself fall into the trap of complacency. The last thing that you want to happen is to give up on the intimate bond in your relationship.
This does not even have to fully apply to intimacy in bed. It also includes little gestures like holding hands and hugging each other. Believe it or not, he might yearn for your touch even outside of the bedroom.
He might even reach out to hold your hand just to know that you are still there for him. To engage with him physically is to also engage with him romantically.
ROMANCE
Some people don’t consider that men want a little romance too. Some are more romantic than others, so figure out where your guy fits in. While he might not expect chocolates and flowers from you, he might cherish the occasional sweet text from you or the kiss on the lips for no particular reason.
A large part of great romance is the little surprises that aren’t expected but are delivered anyway. Things like a quick kiss on the cheek or an impromptu cuddle session. Or you can even try something steamier like an unexpected passionate kiss or a nibble of the neck.
Making romantic gestures will also show that you are passionate, spontaneous, and generous in a relationship.
SECURITY
Feeling certain in a relationship is always incredibly important to the parties that are involved. What makes a person feel secure about their relationship? Having a partner who is reliable and honest can certainly help. Guys are no different than girls when it comes to wanting security in a relationship.
Think about it. If a guy is taking you on dates or has a home with you, he would be devastated if you just decided to end the relationship without any warning. That is why it is important for you to be reliable and communicative with him. Remember to communicate with him through the good times and the bad times as well. That way, your relationship won’t just go up in smoke.
Commitment is an important part of a secure relationship. It is important that you both agree on the terms of your relationship and that you both work to maintain a strong relationship. If one person stops making the effort, then the relationship will begin to crumble.
EMOTIONAL MATURITY
If you are in a relationship, then you should be old enough to act like an adult whether you are 16 or 60. It is no big surprise that men will want emotional maturity in a relationship. This means not acting like a child when things get too hard. Think about it. Why would a normal man want a woman who acts like a child when he could do better with a woman who acts like a mature grown up?
To be emotionally mature in your relationship, remember to always communicate with your partner and to be respectful of their feelings. Do not act immediately on your emotions. If you get upset or frustrated, do not immediately act out.
The opposite of someone with emotional maturity is someone who plays games. For instance, if you are mad at your boyfriend and instead of talking to him about it, you ignore him for several days while he wonders what is wrong.
A man will want someone who can deal with the situation in a mature way. Instead of reacting in a way that you might regret, take a second first to step back, and try to figure out how to solve the problem. Remember that an emotionally mature relationship is a healthy one to have.
COMMUNICATION
Good communication definitely ties into emotional maturity. To keep a man happy in a relationship, you have to be able to communicate, even when you might just want to give him the silent treatment and leave him there to guess what went wrong.
Fewer things are frustrating than when you have no idea why your significant other is upset. Do both of yourselves a favor and just talk to him. If you need to cool off, let him know that you will be back to talk about it. But people in healthy relationships are not afraid to communicate with each other in an open and honest way.
If you have an issue that you are dealing with, especially in the relationship, let him know before it is too late. Remember that men are not mind readers. In fact, no one is a mind reader. That is why it is great to communicate your thoughts and feelings. If you do not communicate what is on your mind, then nothing will change the problems that you are dealing with in your relationship.
Communication also involves listening. So remember to listen to him if he has something to say. While men are said to be less likely to want to talk about their feelings, you should also let him know that you are there for him if he ever needs to talk. Men have feelings to0, and as his significant other, you should be there to support him when he does need it.
Remember to keep him in the loop. This includes involving him in the plans that you make together. Do not just make plans for the two of you all the time without letting him know.
If you are running late for a date, let him know. Do not just show up 30 minutes late or worse, fail to show up at all. Most men will not have any patience for that at all.
PARTNERSHIP
If a man wants to be in a relationship, then it means that he wants a partner. That does not just mean someone to go out to dinner and get intimate with, it also means someone that he can build a life with and make important decision with.
When two people are partners, they listen to each other and value each other’s opinions, especially when it comes to the big things in life. Partners support each other and do not tear each other down.
In a partnership, the two people involved have to remember that one person should not give while the other person does all of the taking. This can apply to anything from making the effort to spend time together to sharing the housework if you live together. A partnership means that you do it together.
FUN
Whether it is having a sense of adventure or a similar sense of humor, who doesn’t want to be able to have fun with their significant other? Men especially like being able to laugh and while they can laugh and joke around with their friends, they probably want to be able to laugh with you too.
That is not to say that you have to like everything that your guy finds funny with his friends. Two people in a relationship can have their own inside jokes and set of things that they can laugh about. That is what makes it even more special.
After all, who likes it when their partner takes themselves way too seriously? Being able to laugh at yourself or a funny situation means that you can let your hair down. And that means that you are not afraid to be comfortable around your significant other.
SPACE
No matter how strong and how intense and loving a relationship can be, everyone needs some space once in a while. Whether you are in the beginning of a whirlwind romance or have been going strong for 10 years, you still need time to yourself.
It probably comes as little surprise that guys need their space in a relationship. The truth is people need their space, regardless of gender. We all need time to remember and figure out who we are outside of our relationships.
If he has his own hobbies and interests, he should be able to do them without feeling guilty that he is not at your side. While it is good for a couple to have hobbies and interests together, sometimes a guy just wants to do his own thing once in a while, no matter how much he cares about you.
When it comes to space, both people in the relationship will need to talk about what that consists of in their relationship. Not every couple is going to be the same and they will all have their different needs.
Some couples might need alone time at the end of each day, while other couples might choose to spend time apart once a week or once a month. Make sure that you work together to figure out what is best for you as a couple.
The idea of giving him space can also apply to the early stages of the relationship as well. Give him the time and space that he needs. Obviously, you should not let him string you along with no end goal in sight, but do not do things like bring up marriage on your 2nd date.
While it is important to talk about a long term commitment in the relationship, it is the type of conversation that can be brought up as the relationship progresses when you are both ready to talk about it. Do not pressure him too hard early on.
CONCLUSION
While you should not drastically change yourself to fit into what a man would want from a relationship, you also need to consider that a relationship is a two-way street.
At the end of the day, men want a relationship where they can feel good about themselves and where they feel like they are with someone who is mature. Being able to communicate and compromise are just some aspects of a mature relationship.
Men appreciate respect and having a partner who works together with them. If you can do these things, then you can have a happy, fulfilled relationship with your guy.
