Why Honesty in a Relationship Is So Important

How can you practice honesty in a relationship? And why is honesty important in a relationship?

These are essential questions that can help you build a relationship full of love, trust, and honesty that will last you a lifetime.

You can be honest in your relationship by:

• Being open about your thoughts and feelings
• Following through on your promises
• Being consistent and reliable
• Avoiding vocalizing judgments
• Telling the truth, even when a lie might protect you

Now that you know how to practice honesty, it’s time to learn to draw a line in the sand about having what things to share and keep private.

We’ll also be looking at 10 reasons why honesty is important in relationships and the benefits of honesty and loyalty in a relationship.

Related Reading: How Much Privacy in a Relationship Is Acceptable?

What does it mean to be honest in a relationship?

Displaying honesty in a relationship doesn’t mean that you have to reveal every thought or share every secret with your spouse.

There are still plenty of reasons to keep things to yourself. You may choose to hold back potentially hurtful opinions, your private thoughts, or information that would betray a promise to a friend to keep something confidential.

You also have the right to stick to vague answers if you don’t feel comfortable sharing information.When it comes to honesty in relationships, remember all of the good reasons to be honest.

If you are inclined to withhold information, ask yourself: “am I keeping this a secret, or am I keeping something private?” – There is a difference.

Related Reading: What or How Much Should You Hide from Your Spouse

10 Reasons why honesty is important in relationships

What are different ways to be honest, and why is honesty important?

When you’re honest with your partner from the start of your relationship, you set a pattern that makes your spouse want to follow suit.

Here are the 10 biggest reasons why you need to have love and honesty in a relationship.

1. Honesty boosts trust

Why is honesty important? When you trust your partner, you instinctively look for the good in them.

Research published by Northwestern University and Redeemer University College found that trusting partners view each other as being more considerate than they are.

Trust and honesty work in harmony, as do love and honesty. The more trusting a spouse feels about their partner, the less likely they are to recall negative experiences with them.

Is this a good thing? So long as your partner treats you well and is always honest with you, we say yes!

Trusting your partner helps you to feel safe, validated, and loved in your relationship. It also builds an excellent foundation for a healthy future together.

Related Reading: Key Characteristics to Build Trust in Your Relationship

2. Reduces partner stress

Why is honesty in a relationship so important?

Simply put, there is nothing worse than wondering if your partner is lying to you. The moment you feel a lack of honesty in your relationship, you begin to question everything.

• · Is my partner going where they say they are?
• · Do they love me?
• · Am I enough for them?
• · What are they doing on their phone when I’m not around?

Many of these questions stem from personal insecurities, perhaps stemming from past relationship betrayals. When partners are honest, they reduce relationship anxiety and trust to blossom into a strong relationship.

3. Promotes healthy communication

Why is it good, to be honest? When nothing is holding you back from being honest with your spouse, you create a flow of communication.

Not only will love and honesty make it easier to resolve conflicts and avoid little things from snowballing out of control, but it also helps couples draw closer and learn more about each other.

Studies show that communication promotes positive engagement for couples and leaves them feeling more supported and satisfied in their relationship.

Related Reading: Healthy Communication For Couples

4. Honesty creates respect

Why is honesty important? Because being honest with your spouse shows that you respect them.

You don’t want them to worry, so you show them the courtesy of telling them where you’re going and when you’ll be home. You don’t hold back love in favor of silly games. Instead, you let your spouse into your heart.

Love and honesty are the keys to a healthy relationship.

The more secure and loved your partner feels, the more likely they are to showcase their absolute best qualities and treat you with similar respect.

Related Reading: How to Respect Your Spouse

5. Builds a healthy foundation for love

Research backs up the importance of honesty in a relationship. One study, published in the Medical Care Journal, found that trust is a willingness to be vulnerable that builds a sense of reliability and strength in someone else.

In another study of 693 individuals, participants positively associated honesty with life satisfaction and self-control.

Do these not sound like the perfect ingredients for a lasting, fulfilling relationship?

To know more about building a healthy relationship watch this video:

6. Encourage acceptance

No matter how well you get along, you and your partner are bound to have disagreements now and again. But, when you are honest with one another, you encourage acceptance in your relationship.

This is because you have been upfront about who you are and what you believe from the start. Neither of you ever had to pretend to be someone else to feel accepted by the other.

This isn’t to say you should accept bad behavior from your partner just because they were upfront about it from the beginning of your relationship.

Instead, finding different ways to be honest should allow you to accept your partner as a separate person with different thoughts and opinions from your own.

7. Honesty makes both partners feel comfortable

No one should ever downplay the importance of honesty and feeling safe and secure in a romantic relationship.

Sure, some may associate security with ‘relationship boredom‘ or claim that feeling comfortable means you’ve lost that sexy spark, but this just isn’t so.

Why is honesty important? Because feeling secure boosts self-love and good mental health.

Research published by the University of Houston, Texas, found that securely attached people are more likely to believe they are worthy of love. They don’t waste time worrying about abandonment or excessive worry.

8. Being truthful is good for your health

Don’t believe it?Studies show that honesty in a relationship can contribute to good mental and physical well being.

On the other hand, a lack of honesty can have negative consequences.

Within the first 10 minutes of lying, your body releases cortisol into your brain. This forces your memory to go a hundred miles per minute, trying to distinguish and remember truth from lies and making you feel scattered and stressed.

Your overworked brain aside, the guilt you feel when you lie can lead to:

• Digestive problems
• Anxiety
• Depression, and
• A reduction in white blood cells (which are needed to fight off illnesses).

In an interesting study of 110 participants, researchers had half of the group stop lying for 10 weeks. The group that was assigned to cut down on their fibs reported 56% fewer health issues and 54% fewer complaints of anxiety and stress.

9. It’s a teaching tool 

Why is honesty important? When you are honest with your partner and those around you, you learn how to interact with people.

Making a habit out of telling the truth will help you learn what things people appreciate knowing and how to phrase the truth in a pleasing and not offensive way to your listener.

Not only will telling the truth make you a better, wiser person, but it can also help inspire those around you to live an honest lifestyle.

10. It prevents useless guessing games

Have you ever found yourself telling your partner that you’re not a mind-reader?

Or perhaps you keep throwing subtle hints your partner’s way about something important, but they don’t seem to be catching on?

When you find ways to be honest, such as being open and honest about your feelings, desires, and needs, you cut out the often-frustrating guessing games in relationships.

Instead of making your partner jump through hoops or traveling a relationship hedge maze to find out where you’re coming from, you’re open, honest, and vulnerable.

Being vulnerable isn’t always easy, but when you choose honesty, you draw your partner closer to you and create an unbreakable bond.

Related Reading: Powerful Benefits of Vulnerability in Relationships

Honesty is key – or is it?

As transparent as you might like to be with your partner, it is good to ask yourself: Is there such a thing as being too honest?

Well, maybe just a little.

What are my reasons for being honest? When it comes to honesty in a relationship, note that there’s a big difference between lying and keeping things to yourself.

When you lack honesty with a romantic partner, it’s usually to keep yourself out of trouble or hide something you’ve done. This is purposeful deceit.

When you keep something to yourself, such as something your partner does that annoys you or some other hurtful opinion, it’s called being polite.

Your relationship will reap the benefits of honesty, but that doesn’t mean you have to be brutally honest about your thoughts and feelings all the time.

Related Reading: How Important Is Integrity in Relationships

Conclusion

Why is it good to be honest? Because it makes your partner feel love, trust, respect, and honesty themselves.

Trust and honesty go hand in hand. Just remember that being honest does not mean you have to be cruel – nor do you owe your spouse the truth about every thought or minute detail of your life.

Learning how to show honesty doesn’t always happen overnight, but it’s always worth taking the first step.

Why is honesty important in a relationship?

Being honest is about showing your partner love and respect. It’s treating your relationship with dignity and choosing to start your relationship with a solid foundation of trust.

The importance of honesty is great. The benefits of such truthfulness include showing respect, breeding positivity, promoting excellent communication, benefit your health, and so much more!

The importance of being honest is evident: when you bring honesty in a relationship, you set yourself up for a successful future with your partner. So make honesty your way of life, not just a behavior you have to keep up with.