Living together before marriage is common in the U.S., but why do dating couples actually decide to share a home? The reasons vary a lot—from practical matters like saving money to deeper desires like spending more quality time together. This article breaks down what research shows about why couples cohabit and how these reasons affect their relationships.
Different Reasons Behind Cohabitation
People move in together for many reasons. Some want to split rent or bills. Others may want to test their relationship before committing to marriage. Some couples have children from previous relationships or simply want to be closer.
Research often groups these reasons into three main categories:
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To test the relationship
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For convenience
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To spend more time together
How Reasons for Living Together Affect Relationships
Are some reasons better than others? Studies suggest yes. A recent study tracked 485 adults for five years to see how their reasons for cohabiting linked to their relationship health.
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Couples who moved in to spend more time together generally had stronger, happier relationships over time.
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Those who cohabited mainly to test the relationship tended to have weaker relationship health later on.
Interestingly, it seems the quality of the relationship might already influence the reason couples choose to live together, rather than the move itself changing the relationship’s direction.
Cohabitation Motives Are Often Mixed
Most research looks at reasons in isolation — like convenience or testing — but people often have multiple motives at once. Newer research uses a method called latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns in people’s reasons.
This approach shows that motivations are usually complex, with many people endorsing several reasons simultaneously.
Six Types of Couples Who Live Together
A recent study classified cohabitors into six groups based on their reasons:
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Convenience Seekers (16%)
They see practical benefits but do not strongly want to spend more time or test the relationship. -
Time Seekers (8%)
These romantic partners mainly want to be together more and do not focus on convenience or testing. -
Testers (25%)
Their primary goal is to see if the relationship will work long-term. They do not emphasize convenience or extra time together. -
Practical Cohabitors (11%)
They value both testing the relationship and convenience but not spending more time together. -
Convenience Prioritizers (27%)
This largest group sees convenience as most important but also moderately values time together and testing. -
Many Motives (12%)
These individuals strongly agree with all three reasons: testing, convenience, and spending time together.
Which Types Have Happier Relationships?
Not all types predict relationship success equally:
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The Many Motives and Time Seekers groups report the highest relationship satisfaction.
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The Testers tend to struggle more with commitment and relationship health.
This suggests that having multiple reasons for living together, including some testing, doesn’t harm a relationship if combined with other positive motives.
What This Means for Couples Today
Understanding why couples live together helps us see how their relationships might grow or face challenges. People rarely move in for just one reason. Most have mixed motives, and those with balanced reasons often enjoy better relationship quality.
Future research will continue to explore how these motivations impact relationships over time, giving couples more insight into their choices.
In summary:
Couples move in together for many reasons, from practical convenience to wanting to test their bond or simply spend more time together. Those with multiple strong motives tend to have the healthiest relationships, while those focused mainly on testing may face more difficulties. Recognizing these patterns can help couples better understand their own decisions and relationship health.
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