Are you in a long-term relationship? Maybe you just began dating your new partner. Either way, how well do you know one-another? Take a minute to think about it...
Ideally, for long-term relationships, and new-found love, your answer is “very well,” or “we’re getting there slowly but surely,” respectively, but if your answer is neither, don’t sweat it! There are tons of ways that you can learn so much about your other half- even ways to learn how the other processes thoughts and feelings. Cool, huh?
My partner Tess (of 3+ years) and I are still, everyday, learning things about each other that we never once knew, and sometimes never would have guessed. When interacting with others, we know that the human mind is such a taxing complexity a decent amount of the time, but to me (and I’m sure to many of you out there), it is also a beautiful mystery to be solved. My relationship with Tess has seen just how important knowledge of one-another is for sustenance, as it is important with any relationship.
Tess and I recently made a YouTube video playing the “More Than Likely To...” game. If you aren’t aware of how the game works, I will briefly fill you in. Questions for the two people, or group, begin by asking who is “more likely to” do something specific (example: fall flat on their face in public). Everyone involved would then, in unison, give the name of the player which whom they believe best suits the question being asked. Easy and fun! Tess and I took questions from the internet and didn’t realize how fun it would be until we played it. More importantly, we didn’t realize how much more connected to each other we would feel; both during and after the game.
This intriguing game has the potential for not only gaining knowledge of your partner, but gaining trust for your relationship as well. Bringing up topics that you wouldn’t necessarily discuss on a usual basis results in what may be random and silly knowledge of one-another, but an abundance of knowledge nonetheless. Cognition is one of the most crucial pieces of the relationship puzzle, and what better way to build it than to have fun while doing so?
For the trust-building aspect of the game, it comes naturally. Being aware that your partner knows a lot about you and your shared relationship, means, well...a lot. Whether it be as simple as who would be more than likely to break out in song or dance in public, or something more important such as who is more than likely to profess their feelings/thoughts and how they would, allows you both to feel a connection. Trusting another human being, and being able to confide in sharing your vulnerability with that person, is not as easy as A-B-C and 1-2-3...no matter how catchy that Jackson 5 song may be.
For couples who are just starting out, for the ones who have been at it for years, or even the pair that is having trouble finding the companionship they once had, we strongly encourage you to use this game as a tool to water the flowers in the always-growing garden that is your relationship. As they say, knowledge is power.