Are You Genuinely Compatible With Someone? 18 Fun Ways To Find Out
Relationship compatibility is a lot more than how much love a couple has.
Getty To determine relationship compatibility, you have to spend time with each other and get to know each other’s quirks. We all have "things" we do that others might not understand, and you have to decide if you can handle how your partner acts in certain situations. Time will tell if you can get used to their quirks and if they can understand yours.
Sometimes compatibility tests show you are not compatible. But sometimes they can justify how perfect you are for each other. Above all else, remember you can try these activities when it’s the right time for your relationship to go to that step. Move as fast or as slow as you want. It’s your relationship, and you and your partner are the only ones who can decide when you are ready or not ready.
Are you genuinely compatible with someone? Here are 18 fun ways to find out:
1. Travel together
Traveling together is a great way to learn about someone. You get to know if your partner is organized with a daily itinerary or if they are a wing-it type of person. You can also learn how they pack and how patient they are when they are stuck at the airport or have long wait times.
"Couples who travel together report higher levels of satisfaction in their relationships," relationship coach Brock Hansen pointed out. "The simple act of sitting together in a car, train, or airplane, embarking on a new adventure, fills us with delight and affection, whether we are headed to the other side of the world or up the road to one of our favorite camping sites. This delight comes in good part from a string of successes at overcoming the many stresses of travel."
2. Run errands together
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Going to the store is a great way to learn about each other. You can go to the grocery store and learn so much about their eating habits. You can go to antique stores and see how much they love to look at secondhand items. Going to the mall will tell you if they are good at handling and saving money, or if they are a super spender without regard to how much money they are spending.
3. Live together
Living together is a big step in a relationship. You learn so much about a person when they are comfortable and in their own setting. You have to see if they have any quirks, like leaving their dirty clothes on the floor or if they do things that make you uncomfortable. You never truly know someone until you move in with them.
4. Go to the movies together
Going to the movies together is an easy way to learn a few things about your possible significant other. It’s a great way to see if you can come up with a compromise on a movie choice for the evening, or if they get irritated with you when you don’t want to see the same movie, or if they insist on seeing their pick without any intent to change.
5. Wash dishes together
Eating with each other at home can give you lots of insights into your partner. You can find out if they expect you to clean the dishes. Do you do the "I cooked, you clean thing", or do you like to help with cooking, and then you both do the dishes? Doing something as simple as washing dishes can tell you how this person will be later on if you are living with each other, and what they will expect of you.
6. Play games together
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Playing games or video games with your significant other will give you insights as to whether or not they can take losing and if they are super serious. Will they put you down or make you feel guilty?
These are great things to know about your partner before you get involved with them, because you want to be with someone who can take losing with grace, without bragging too much, and who can handle losing without freaking out and spoiling the evening.
7. Assemble something
Putting something together is another great way to learn about your partner. You can find something at stores like Ikea — the most notorious do-it-yourself store — and then work together to assemble it. This activity will tell you how easily they get frustrated and if you can work together efficiently as a couple.
8. Exercise together
Exercising together can not only make working out fun but is also a learning experience! You can find out about your significant other, how much they like to push boundaries and their bodies, or if they like to casually treat their body with kindness. Also, if they are nice and complimenting or mean and nasty, it can tell you whether or not you can handle that with your partner on a day-to-day basis.
9. Cook a meal together
Cooking a meal together will show you how much fun they are in a domestic setting, and if you can work well together to follow a recipe.
"When food is prepared with love," advised counselor Mary Jo Rapini, "it becomes the ultimate extension of a cuddle or a hug. Cooking a meal together is a great, low-key way to spend time together, and you get to share delicious food after it too. Most people equate food with love, and when you take your time preparing food, you put more love into your food. Sharing food is the ultimate love language."
10. Go on a road trip together
Going on a road trip with your partner will show you similar things to going on vacation with your significant other. You can see if they are good at following directions, if they get irritated with other drivers, if they have road rage, or not, and if you can stand being in such a small space with each other for long periods of time.
11. Wait in line together
When you have to wait in line with your significant other, it will show you how patient your partner is. If they can stand there without complaining or getting frustrated.
Relationship coach Lisa Rabinowitz explained how "You notice and attune to your and your partner's cues and non-verbal communication. You are sensitive to what you and your partner need, and take care of those needs together. This is called attunement, and couples who are attuned with one another and join together to make decisions tend to have better relationship outcomes. Co-regulating is different from co-dependency because secure relationships are interdependent in healthy ways, not enabling unhealthy behaviors."
12. Join a group together
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Joining a group or membership with your partner is a step towards commitment to each other. It’s a tangible way that you start getting used to handling things together as a unit.
"Almost every city or town has a local park where you can just show up and play," suggested life coach Caroline Maguire. "If you go at the same time each week, you may keep playing with the same people, which can help you build friendships. Consider signing up for a yoga or dance class. Even though you won’t be talking much during the class, there’s time to catch up before and after."
13. Go on a double date
It’s also important to go on double dates with your friends and their friends. You have to get to know each other’s friends because it will give you an insight into who your partner likes to hang out with. Because we love to be around those who are like us, getting to know your significant other’s friends will show you what your partner is really like.
14. Organize a party or a trip
Organizing something can give you great insights because you have to be able to think about everything. You have to decide on what to do, how much you are willing to spend, which tells you how they are with spending money. It will also show you if you are compatible in doing things with a purpose together.
15. Do a puzzle
Doing a puzzle will also give you an idea of how they strategize and how they do things. You will also figure out how organized they are and will be in life situations.
Couples counselor Larry Michel explained the chemistry of doing a puzzle together: "The two of you can have fun building the borders and filling them in while helping each other find the pieces. You can decide together not to use the picture that came with the puzzle and put it together the hard way, without clues. Every step along the way is full of surprises and more serendipity."
16. Make a budget
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Making a budget will give you a greater insight into how they like to plan money, or if they throw caution to the wind and rack up credit card debt. This is something important you need to know for a long-term relationship.
"Co-creating a budget allows you to work toward shared and individual goals," explained business coach Ann Papayoti. "It empowers you both as you agree on fair divisions of debt and both become conscious of your spending to support the goals you have set together."
17. Go window shopping
Going window shopping will tell you more about each other’s likes and dislikes. It’s just a way for you to dream and fantasize about the future with each other. You will also get a better idea of their taste in material objects.
18. Binge-watch a series
Binge-watching a series or two will show you if your partner is good at sitting for long periods of time without doing anything, or if they have to do something else while they are watching TV. You will also find out if they can handle being inside for long times and if they like to snuggle or have space.
When you are looking to see if you and your partner are compatible, you need to do things together that will give you insights into how the other person will react. These are things you need to know about your significant other that you will not be able to find out in any other type of situation.
Overall, you can find so much about your partner by doing simple activities to make sure you are compatible while progressing into a serious relationship.
Emily Francos is a writer and book editor for The Urban Writers. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and French. Her work has been featured on YourTango, Unwritten, and MSN, where she's written about pop culture, relationships, astrology, and trending entertainment and news.
