All relationships aren’t equal, and (incredibly nosey) science has finally found a way to categorize the boundaries, the commitment of your love, and the happiness and rewarding sensations you feel into specific groups for our subjective judging pleasure.

In 2016, three relationship scientists — and yes, that’s their actual job, so you know they know what they’re talking about — studied approximately 400 unwed couples in their mid-twenties to determine if there was any definability to determine the outcome for happiness and whether they’d be headed for marriage, and found out that yes, there is. 

Based on responses to questions gauging how committed they each felt to one another and how they felt about their significant other, Steven Ogolsky, lead researcher, determined that while there may be many types of people, there are just four specific categories each relationship can fall into.

There are only 4 types of couples in the world:

1. The on-and-off-again couple

Also known as the on-again, off-again couples. If you’re this type of couple, you might make the Stock Exchange dizzy with your up-and-down, back-and-forth relationship. Your commitment to one another varies as you go — one minute hot, the next cold.

Conflict pushes you apart, but then passion drives you right back into each other’s arms. When you’re together, you’re together, but when you’re not, you’re not. 

According to research from the University of Georgia, couples who can successfully navigate conflict together will have a healthier relationship. Still, there’s a certain definable magnetism that keeps pulling you back to the person you’re crazy for, despite the obvious bumps in the road of your relationship.

This type of crazy, passionate romance may not exactly be doomed for failure, but according to Ogulsky, it “may not be sustainable in the long-term.” It can be pretty hectic to keep a relationship when you never know from one day to the next what might happen.

If your commitment level to your partner falls when you’ve argued, then you’ll need to examine where you’re at and make better decisions if you want a lasting relationship with that person.

2. The drama-drama-drama couple

Timur Weber / Pexels

Do you and your partner find yourselves often in the middle of some new issue or problem? Do you often make spur-of-the-moment decisions based on issues outside of your relationship? 

Do you spend more of your time with your friends, doing your things without really consulting one another or trying to do things as a couple? Then you’re in a dramatic relationship, and my, my, the waters are choppy.

According to Ogolsky, “These couples have a lot of ups and downs, and their commitment swings wildly.” What does that mean, exactly? Well, if you’re the sort of person who focuses on the negative and allows other factors outside of your relationship to drive your opinion of your partner, then you’re going to be focused on other factors around you, not your S.O., which can make you both more likely to fight as well as to break up.

“It’s not unlike when the transmission goes out on your car, and then your starter goes out. You begin to see little things eroding, and you start to see the relationship in a negative light, and soon you give up,” Ogolsky says. If you’re in a dramatic relationship, you might want to rethink the decisions you’re making, fast, because people in these relationships are two times as likely as the others to break up.

3. The social butterfly couple

Does your perfect night out involve your significant other and a bunch of your friends that you all share? Does social activity become a hub of your relationship because you do it together rather than separate and go your ways? Then you and your partner could have a socially-based relationship that’s strong because of the people and things you share.

According to Ogulsky, “Having mutual friends makes people in these couples feel closer and more committed.” You’ll end up being a pretty stable couple with high levels of happiness and friendship because your partner is also someone that you enjoy going out and hanging out with. This is good news for you because, in the long term, you’re sharing things that will make your relationship more likely to last.

4. The focused-on-each-other couple

Gin / pexels

You love spending time with your significant other. You do everything together, and share hobbies and fun times alike, and that special bonding time makes you more likely to have a significantly happier relationship in the future.

You’re not going to let outside sources influence the decisions that you make, and you’re more likely to talk out your issues with one another and be more thoughtful moving forward. Do you relish time with your partner, and make sure that you’re putting each other first? Then you’re lucky to be in a partner-focused relationship which, according to the study, was overall the most satisfied!

The purpose behind categorizing these relationships is to help you recognize where you’re currently at and where you want to be. It can make you think about the longevity of your relationship in its current state and how you can either keep moving it forward with good decisions or how you can better it by aiming for positive goals together. 

So, no matter what type of relationship you’re currently in, know that your happiness and commitment to one another ultimately depend on the two of you — and don't accept anything less than fantastic.

Merethe Najjar is a professional writer, editor, and award-winning fiction author. Her articles have been featured in The Aviator Magazine, Infinite Press, Yahoo, BRIDES, and more.