How long is the ideal dating period before marriage?

The principles of each person regarding marriage are not always the same. Some choose a short dating time, but get married right away. However, there are also those who want to go through a long acquaintance and approach first so they can move on to the next level. Really, how long is the ideal dating period before marriage?

Better, how long should you date until you finally get married?

For those of you who are in love, whether they have only been running for a lifetime or have been for many years, this question will always seem to be present in your mind. Yes, because basically marriage is not something that can be taken lightly.

Rachel A. Sussman, a relationship specialist at Sussman Counseling in New York, explains that four years is considered the ideal dating period to move on to a more serious level.

This statement is reinforced by research from Emory University, which was conducted on more than 3,000 people who were married. The goal is to find out how long they are dating and the age of their marriage now.

The results showed that couples who were dating for two years had a lower chance of divorce than couples who only dated for one year. In fact, the odds of divorce decrease by 50 percent for those who go through dating for three years or more.

Indeed, there is no standard of how long the ideal dating period. However, when viewed from the survey and research, it can be concluded that the longer the dating time, the lower the chances of a couple divorcing in the future.

This is because the longer you are in a relationship, the more likely you are to get to know and understand your partner. Vice versa.

What if the dating time is short?

Not a few couples decide to get married soon, even though they have only been in a relationship for a while. Does this guarantee that the two of them know each other well enough?

Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, a professor at Oakland University and author of a book entitled 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage From Good to Great, revealed that it is very possible that couples who have only been dating for a while do not know each other completely.

If you experience this, try asking a few things that can evaluate yourself and your partner. For example, regarding the mutual trust between you and your partner, the extent to which you and your partner can both solve the problems that are present, and how much mutual ownership grows in both of you.

According to Orbuch, it is usually quite difficult to build trust and really get to know a partner's personality more deeply, if only done for a short time.

But back again, if you and your partner are able to hold onto each other and keep the commitments that have been made together, later on, your marriage will be no less harmonious than a couple who is going out for a long time, really.

Actually, the time to get married depends on the readiness of each person

Even so, actually the decision to get married is not based solely on your dating time. Dating, long or short, cannot be used as a measure of the longevity of your household in the future. Because basically, divorce and other domestic conflicts are social problems that are difficult to measure with just numbers.

Instead of having to bother thinking about the ideal dating period, it's better to ask yourself again and your partner is ready or not to cross the household ark later.

If you and your partner are both determined to move on to a more serious stage, why not? But if you still need a little time, of course it's okay to go back to trying to be more determined.