10 things everyone wants to know about their relationship, according to Google
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- Google just released its top searches of 2017.
- 10 trending relationship-related queries are listed below.
- Those topics include managing long-distance relationships, understanding polyamorous relationships, and getting out of a toxic relationship.
Google just released its top searches of 2017 — i.e. the searches that had the largest spike compared to 2016.
One of the most compelling search categories is relationships — people wondering whether their partnership is sustainable, how to make it better, and how to get over a breakup.
Below are the top 10 relationship-related queries of the past year, along with some extra detail about each topic.
1. 'How to make long-distance relationships work'
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As Business Insider's Jessica Orwig reported, about 3 million Americans and half of college students were in long-distance relationships as of 2016. And couples in those relationships can be just as satisfied as couples who live closer.
The key, according to research, is communication. One researcher told Orwig that satisfaction depends largely on the discrepancy between your expectations for the relationship and reality. Another important factor: having an end in sight for the long-distance phase of your relationship.
2. 'How to change your relationship status on Facebook'
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In 2013, Business Insider's Jim Edwards reported on somewhat creepy research that found it's possible to see a breakup — i.e. a relationship status change — coming simply by looking at a couple's friend networks on Facebook.
The analysis found the main predictor of whether two people are in a relationship is whether they have distinct groups of friends who are connected mostly through the couple.
"You might expect that a cluster of mutual friends indicates two people are in a relationship but the opposite is the case: You're more likely to have cluster of mutual coworkers listing each other as friends than a couple," Edwards wrote.
"A spouse or romantic partner is a bridge between a person's different social worlds," one of the researchers told The New York Times.
When the researchers' algorithm failed to pick up this pattern, the couple was about 50% more likely to have broken up 60 days later.
3. 'How to build trust in a relationship'
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One place to start is by exchanging answers to these seven important questions before you and your partner get serious.
Those questions include, "How much debt do you have?" and "What do you consider cheating?" There isn't a right or wrong response to any of these prompts — the idea is to make sure you're on the same page, or getting there.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider