Board games and arguing among 20 best ways to get to know your partner

Study finds 14 percent of respondents believe it takes five years before someone can truly know their other half

Being intimate with your lover can improve brain cognition according to research (Shutterstock)

Going on holiday, cooking a meal together - and having an argument - are among the best ways to get to know your partner, a study has found.

A poll of 2,000 loved-up Brits has revealed the ways in which you can see your other half's true colours and really find out who they are.

Going on a day trip, listening to music together and meeting their friends or parents can also help you get to know your loved one.

The study, by Hasbro Gaming, also found two in five believe you can really discover someone's personality by playing a game, with the contentious classic Monopoly most likely to bring out your other half’s hidden side.

It also emerged twenty per cent think you know your partner’s real personality after spending the first year together, though a more cautious one in seven believe five years is what’s needed before you can claim to truly know them.

Commenting on the findings, Big Brother's former resident professor Geoff Beattie said: "It can take years to truly get to know your other half, and even then, there are certain parts of their personality they may never reveal to you.

"Still, after your first break away together, some quality time in the kitchen and a few heated games of Monopoly, you should be a little bit closer to truly understanding what makes your spouse tick.”

The study found 54 per cent believe a holiday together is the best way to learn everything about your partner, while 47 per cent think cooking a meal shows you everything you need to know.

Other activities which could help you to get to know your partner better include moving in with them, spending Christmas together and watching their favourite film.

Visiting each other's home towns, doing DIY together and going to the gym with them also made the list.

Researchers also found that a third of people made more effort with their appearance to try and impress their other half in the early days, with one quarter also admitting they were more forgiving of their partner’s faults.

But just half think their partner is completely open with them about their own quirks and secrets, with more than one in 10 believing they still have a lot to learn about their other half.

Three in 10 even admit to keeping part of their personality a secret from their unsuspecting partner.

The study also revealed one in eight nervous dates played nice when meeting the in-laws for the first time, and 18 per cent laughed at more of their partner’s dire jokes in the beginning than they do now.

And while it’s relatively smooth sailing for a third of loved-up Brits, almost seven in 10 confess to disliking something about their partner’s personality.

Of those who dislike their partner’s true colours, one in five thought moving in together revealed the unpalatable trait, and 10 per cent said their other half revealed an unattractive side to themselves when they were with their friends.

Exercising together is said to improve companionship Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

When pitted against each other across the Monopoly board, couples admitted to seeing a different side to their loved one.

One in eight said their other half was a stickler for the rules, while one in ten thought their spouse was prone to gloating when the odds were in their favour.

In fact, 18 per cent believed Monopoly brings out the ruthless side in their opposition.

This classic game is no stranger to bust-ups. Last Christmas there were over 2,000 calls to the dedicated Monopoly Hotline helping resolve disputes, after research found over half of games end in acrimony around rules and cheating.

Psychologist Geoff Beattie continued, “It’s really interesting to see how much couples believe they can learn about their partner’s personality from playing a game like Monopoly.

"When people become engrossed in certain activities, including play, they monitor their own behaviour less and reveal hidden aspects of their personality.

"Couples and families were recorded playing Monopoly by Hasbro’s FunLab team, and eight personality types seemed to emerge when playing this often-cut-throat game.

"From the Crook and the Token Obsessed to the Sceptic and the Gloater, there are a number of different aspects of our personality that seem to appear once the board comes out.

“Monopoly is one of those games that can make the quietest and politest of people get quite emotionally charged.

"We saw plenty of couples walking in holding hands, but with things already starting to change as they picked their favourite token!”

Top activities to get to know your partner

1. Go on holiday together
2. Cook a meal together
3. Go on a day trip together
4. Meet their friends
5. Meet their parents
6. Play a game together
7. Watch a film together
8. Move in together
9. Spend Christmas together
10. Listen to music together
11. Visit each other’s home towns
12. Go for a drive together
13. Do DIY together
14. Buy a home together
15. Have an argument
16. 16. Start a family together
17. Play a competitive sport together
18. Take a dance class together
19. Go to the gym together
20. Buy a car together

Eight most common Monopoly Personalities

1. The Property Strategist: Whether its borrowing from the bank, property swapping or refusing to sell, this player smooth talks his/her way through the game until victory is in sight.
2. The Rules Stickler: The player who infuriates fellow players with his/her rigid following of the rules. The Rules Stickler snitches on those who aren’t paying their rent or following the rules to their high expectations.
3. The Sceptic: Suspicious of everyone’s motives, this player glances furtively from behind their cards throughout the game. Every decision, movement and gameplay is analysed again and again in a quest to decipher who has an unfair advantage.
4. The Gloater: This player is blessed with luck and the subject of envy to the average ‘Monopoly’ Joe. The player taunts and gloats throughout the process, with a wild look of glee each time they throw the dice.
5. The Crook: Stealing cash, lying about Chance Cards, skipping spaces or turns when others aren’t paying attention, or avoiding rent. Always calm and self-composed. Often on the verge of bankruptcy themselves.
6. The Emotional Tornado: Known offences include board flipping, throwing money, and tossing tokens. The player is a moaner, argumentative and by far the most emotionally driven offender.
7. The Incompetent: Demonstrating a real lack of awareness with the rules, this player prances around the Monopoly board with very little skill. All the gear and no idea.
8. The Token Obsessed: Fixated and fanatical with the collection of Monopoly tokens, this player knows exactly which token to grab before the game starts and chooses the same one every time. The Token Obsessed is prone to throw a wobbly if they can’t play with their favourite.

SWNS