This is the biggest challenge couples face

And we ALL do it

relationship challenge, she's all that
(Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))

And we ALL do it

Ah science, isn’t it a wonderful thing? From why you look like your partner to how your coffee order can mean you’re a psychopath, it pretty much has an explanation for everything that goes on in relationships.

Now a psychologist has revealed the biggest challenge couples face, and it’s something we all struggle with: being true to ourselves.

Because let’s be honest, how many of us have tried to change the way we are to please others? From not saying how we really feel to changing the way we look or fighting our messiness/tardiness/[insert cute flaw here], relationships are all about compromise, right? Well not really.

Dr. Liz Powell wrote on PsychCentral.com, ‘the most important piece of relationship advice I could give to someone who wants to be happy would be the advice to always be yourself and to always be authentic in all aspects of your life, and especially in your romantic relationships.’

She added that she learned this the hard way by being unhappy in a relationship because she was changing the way she was to fit into it.

‘You are the only person you have at the end of the day and if you’re trying to do something because it’s what makes other people happy rather than it’s because what feels authentic for you, you’re never going to be as happy as you could be,’ she concludes.

So at the end of the day, if you want your relationships, be it with your other half or friends, to work, you need to be yourself. Which does make sense when you think about it, non?

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.