The 6 Sad Reasons Men Stay In Unhappy Relationships
According to relationship experts.
Yuri Manei / Pexels You probably know a man who always complains about his unhappy relationship, about how down he is, or the stress it causes him.
The question most women ask is — if he’s so unhappy, why is he staying with her?
In some cases, the reasons men stay in unhappy relationships are similar to the reasons women stay in unhappy relationships. But there are other reasons that women might not suspect.
The six sad reasons why men stay in unhappy relationships:
1. His partner is attractive
It should come as no surprise that having a beautiful wife, girlfriend, or partner is important for a man. Having an attractive partner by his side is a boost to his ego.
If she’s attractive, he feels validated. Even if he may feel as though he’s lacking in other areas, an attractive partner will boost his confidence.
So, if she makes him unhappy, he becomes an economist — does he value her beauty more than his own relationship happiness?
In many cases, men will choose beauty ahead of satisfaction. And if she may be a bit out of his league, he’ll be willing to put up with the misery in order to still feel that boost of confidence at the end of the day.
2. He's sentimental about the relationship
Men can be sentimental when it comes to relationships. If a man has been with someone for a long time or has shared intimate moments with her, then he will feel a deep fidelity and loyalty to the idea of the relationship.
This means that he’ll keep thinking that the relationship is like it was years or months ago, instead of looking at the relationship as it is. He will stay in the relationship primarily to relive the good times.
He is unable to let go of an idea he had of the woman he was with and remains stuck in a cycle of unhappiness.
3. The physical side is too good to give up
Sometimes, men will stay in an unhappy relationship because it’s an easy avenue to sex — he doesn’t have to go elsewhere to look for it, and he doesn’t have to worry about why he isn’t getting any.
But then, he can also stay in an unhappy relationship if the sex is especially good. If the girl is causing him to stress most of the time, but she brings something extra to the bedroom, he’s going to be thinking about that just as much as he is thinking about how unhappy she makes him.
Just as sex is a reason why men leave relationships, it can be a reason to stay in one, even if he’s unhappy.
4. He believes there are no other options
The fear of the unknown is a strong motivator for humans. It can be a strong motivator for a relationship as well.
A man will stay in an unhappy relationship if he thinks that it’s the only relationship that he can find.
There are plenty of fish in the sea, but if he thinks that he can’t get another woman, he’s likely to keep coming back to a painful and unhappy relationship out of loneliness and desperation.
For men, the devil you know can be better than the angel you don’t.
5. He wants to keep her for himself
This is basically jealousy talking. But when a man has strong feelings attached to a woman, he can become extremely possessive.
At this stage, he might not care how unhappy the relationship is — because the thought of her being with someone else will make him more unhappy.
6. He loves her and remains optimistic
If he has any relationship experience, a man knows that no relationship will ever be perfect.
Someone is bound to get on someone’s nerves at some point. Frustrations come with the responsibility of being in a committed relationship, and giving up is not the answer.
He stays because he hopes that things will get better and not worse.
He realizes that until he fixes the mistakes within himself and properly deals with the relationship at hand, there is no need to go on to the next woman because he will only end up back at square one, repeating the same mistakes.
The motivators for a man to stay in an unhealthy relationship are varied.
And sometimes, even after the reasons listed above, there still may not be a good explanation for why a man stays in an unhappy relationship.
But if you’re wondering, just know that he believes he has a good reason.
The relationship coaches at How To Meet The Man Of Your Dreams are experts at empowering men and women with knowledge and confidence to help them find love and happy relationships.