{"id":124201,"date":"2024-03-09T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-09T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=124201"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:40:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:40:47","slug":"things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"The Things a Woman Needs in a Relationship to Be Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What are the things a woman needs in a relationship? How can you make a woman happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The things a woman needs in a relationship include both emotional and physical security, as well as compatible values and excitement. Where these needs come from is up for debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s more on how to satisfy a woman in a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-do-women-need-in-relationships\">What Do Women Need in Relationships?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many men are mystified about the things a woman needs in a relationship. In romantic relationships, <strong>a woman\u2019s deepest need is to feel physically and emotionally secure<\/strong>. Some argue that women\u2019s need for security is deeply rooted in their biological and cultural makeup.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Relationship therapist Esther Perel agrees that women, and men, value security in a relationship. However, in <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/mating-in-captivity\/1-page-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Mating in Captivity,<\/em><\/a> Perel challenges the suggestion that this is women\u2019s dominant need. According to Perel, a sense of security in a long-term relationship is a wonderful thing, but security also tends to have a deadening effect on desire. Perel explains that the initial fear of losing your partner was part of what made the relationship exciting. Thus, women don\u2019t want only security, but a dynamic interplay of safety and risk within their relationships.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As childbearers, women are biologically inclined toward partners who can provide protection and resources to ensure the survival and well-being of both the woman and her offspring. Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/norms-of-society-2\/\">societal norms<\/a> often condition women to value emotional connection and communication, leading to an emphasis on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/relationships\/romantic\/emotional-security\/\">emotional security<\/a> in romantic relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Rebecca Traister, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/All-Single-Ladies-Unmarried-Independent\/dp\/1476716579\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>All the Single Ladies<\/em><\/a>, disagrees that women&#8217;s choices in partners are predominantly driven by biological instincts to find resource providers and protectors. Traister argues that changes in society and culture, fueled by women gaining more economic and social freedom, are changing the way women choose their romantic partners. According to Traister, contemporary women are prioritizing personal values, ambitions, and self-fulfillment over the evolutionary imperative for security in the form of physical protection or financial stability.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the things a woman needs in a relationship? How can you make a woman happy? The things a woman needs in a relationship include both emotional and physical security, as well as compatible values and excitement. Where these needs come from is up for debate. Here\u2019s more on how to satisfy a woman in a relationship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":124204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[1423],"class_list":["post-124201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","tag-the-mans-guide-to-women","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Things a Woman Needs in a Relationship to Be Happy - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The things a woman needs in a relationship include emotional and physical security and love. 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Learn more about what makes a woman happy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-09T17:37:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T19:40:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/couple-conversation-talking-interview-therapy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Becca King\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Becca King\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Becca King\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a98d1f6c931222c11a5c5d087f3376fe\"},\"headline\":\"The Things a Woman Needs in a Relationship to Be Happy\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-09T17:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-28T19:40:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/\"},\"wordCount\":346,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/couple-conversation-talking-interview-therapy.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Man&#039;s Guide to Women\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Relationships\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/\",\"name\":\"The Things a Woman Needs in a Relationship to Be Happy - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/things-a-woman-needs-in-a-relationship\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/couple-conversation-talking-interview-therapy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-09T17:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-28T19:40:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"The things a woman needs in a relationship include emotional and physical security and love. 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