A Survey Of American Relationships And Love

A giant new survey lays out what’s really going on in American relationships, American love — and the world's.

We connect, we couple up, we look to commit, and then we wonder – how are we doing?  Will this relationship last?  Is it all it can or should be?  And how do other people, other couples, get along.

Do they smooch like us?  Talk like us?  Thrill and tussle and fight like us?  Could we learn from other ways?  Do it differently?  A big new survey of couples and how they relate is loaded with points of comparison, from the kitchen to the bedroom.

You may not go for the norm, or their niche, but it’s interesting to know what’s out there.

This hour, On Point:  everything you wanted to know, etc…
-Tom Ashbrook

Chrisanna Northrup, co-author of "The Normal Bar: The Surprising Secrets of Happy Couples and What They Reveal About Creating a New Normal in Your Relationship." With the help of AOL, The Huffington Post, AARP and iVillage, she was able to get 70,000 responses to a survey about relationships. (@chrisnorthrup)

Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the University of Washington. Co-author of "The Normal Bar." (@pepperschwartz)

The Washington Post "What if it’s as bad as you think? What if behind the picket fence and brocade curtains, your neighbors really are holding hands by the fire? They’re calling each other “sweetheart” and talking about their feelings before heading to the bedroom for another round of magic-making. What if that’s what everyone’s doing? Everyone except you."

USA Today "Among their findings, based on responses from individuals 18 and older who are in relationships (both heterosexual and same-sex):

-- 40% say they have sex three to four times a week.
-- 48% of men and 28% of women report having fallen in love at first sight.
-- 43% of men and 33% of women say they are keeping a major secret from their partner."

LiveScience "Sorry, guys: Mopping the kitchen may not help you get lucky in the bedroom. Men who do more household chores typically viewed as feminine — like cleaning, cooking and washing — have less sex than men who don't, according to a new study."