What are People Skills and How they affect Your Romantic Relationships

People skills are a crucial part of adulthood. They help to make you successful, improve your personal and professional life, and make you a more likable person. People skills enable you to communicate effectively and sincerely, code-switch between very different groups of people, and improve your societal and professional standings.

When you think of people skills, you probably think about how the influence your career and friendships. You might not think of how your people skills can serve your romantic relationships. Yet, often, our romantic relationships are some of the most important ones we forge. Your life can be utterly transformed by your romances, for better or worse. Your romantic relationships intertwine you with another person that can completely alter the trajectory of your life. This is relevant to anyone who is still searching for their other half, as well as those who have found theirs. Your interpersonal skills can absolutely make or break your romantic happiness.

Why do you need people skills?

We all need people skills to effectively communicate with one another. These skills help you to connect with people, develop friendships, and strengthen relationships. They help you to understand your customers and/or clients so you can best sell to them. You have to be able to communicate effectively, listen effectively, and adjust to the situations that present themselves to you.

How will people skills benefit you?

First off, they’ll make you a better friend, co-worker, and employee. It allows you to communicate effectively with customers/clients easily and communicate better with your friends and loved ones. People skills help to improve your behavior towards those around you. They help you to communicate more accurately and effectively with those around you. Another benefit is that as you improve your communication and people skills, you also improve your listening skills.

How do you obtain better people skills?

The first thing to do is continue researching a variety of exercises to help improve your people skills. Next, you have to put this practice into effect. Practice your skills by communicating regularly with those around you. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there. There’s no better way to improve your people skills than by just jumping out there and trying.

You also need to keep in mind that everyone is different and perceives situations differently. Part of improving your skills is understanding the differences from person to person and being prepared for the many communication disconnects that could occur. Each person has different levels of understanding and their different way of communicating; miscommunications happen so easily across the board. Everyone is vulnerable to them.

There are many exercises to help you improve your people skills and make you a better person, listener, friend, and employee. As you work on your skills, you’ll find an improved lifestyle and improved friendships.

How do People Skills affect Romance?

A study, published in 1999, from the University of California examined social skills in romantic relationships. The study involved 65 couples who were married and 66 dating couples. The results showed that social skills were directly linked to the satisfaction of both parties in the relationship. Emotional support was the biggest point in determining satisfaction with the relationship. However, the results are clear. People with greater people skills had happier relationships.

Of course, this makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? When it comes to people skills, part of it is the ability to regulate emotions. Emotion regulation is an important part of managing long-term relationships and being able to communicate appropriately and efficiently. The health of a romantic relationship hinges on a couple’s ability to discuss problems as they arise. In order to discuss problems and resolve them, you have to have control over your emotions. Or, to at least know when to walk away and take a break from a conversation that is bubbling out of control.

A Lack of People Skills hurts Romantic Relationships

Just imagine a friend or partner who cannot control their anger or is unwilling to share their feelings. They become easily frustrated, and the dial moves from 0 to 100 as they react to simple every day situations. They have no control over their emotions and they become a person that isn’t pleasant to be around. It’s possible that they have other strong interpersonal skills, but those don’t count for much if they are unable to regulate their emotions and communicate effectively.

It makes perfect sense that your people skills would play a large role in how you build romantic relationships. You don’t need to read dating books or even pick up self-help books. All you really need to improve your dating life (or your existing relationships) is some work on your people skills. You can start with ensuring that you maintain eye contact and give someone your full attention when they are speaking to you. The second most important part is active listening. Instead of figuring out how you will respond to what they’re talking about, just listen and let them have the space to talk. You will learn a lot more about them that way.

If you or someone you are close to needs help with their interpersonal skills, have hope.  It’s completely possible to learn how to regulate your emotions and improve your people skills. Suppressing your emotions negatively impacts all kinds of situations including first professional impressions right through your long-term romances.