The Top Qualities to Look for in a Partner

We've all heard about plenty of "red flags" when it comes to dating—takes days to respond to your texts, never introduces you to or talks about their friends, has habits you simply can't stand even early on, the list goes on—but what about some dating "green flags?"

While we don't always describe them in this way, we all have certain qualities or characteristics that we look out for as good signs when dating (and especially when dating someone new). Sure, some of them are completely personal and up to the individual, but others are more general—the kind of thing everyone should be looking out for in a partner. With that said, here are some of the top qualities to look for in a partner:

1. Kindness (Towards Everyone)

There's little that makes for a greater turn-off to most people than someone who is rude to waitstaff at a restaurant or any other service industry-style job. While it may be a bit more difficult to recognize, that also means that treating people—whether that be in reference to you, your waiter, or even just strangers on the street—with kindness is a major green flag. If you're dating someone and they tend to speak very kindly about others, always seem to be the first one to jump to get the door for other people or offer help in any way that they can, this is certainly a good quality about them to keep in mind.

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2. Communication

With any relationship, whether it be a friendship, romantic relationship or otherwise, communication really is key. If you find yourself walking on eggshells around your partner or not talking openly about the important things that matter to you, it may be time to reevaluate the relationship. A good way to think of it is that a relationship should be similar to a friendship in terms of communication, if not even stronger. If it feels easy to talk to your person at all times and about practically anything, that's a big green flag that they may be worth keeping around for a while.

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3. Shared Values

Think about it: If you spend a lot of time dedicating yourself to studying because you want to get into a good college while your partner couldn't care less and never sees themselves leaving your hometown, you may be less compatible in the long run than it may seem. That may be a subtle example, but this can come down so far as everything from religion to food and so much more. After all, a shared reality is one of the most likely ways to succeed in a relationship, so having a lot of the same general values is a good sign of a good relationship. That's not to say you have to be on the same page about everything, but knowing which qualities are most important to you and looking for those in a partner is a good place to start.

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While this is just the tip of the iceberg when it to comes things to look out for in a quality relationship, there are undoubtedly many more to keep an eye out for—including ones that may be purely fitted to you. But now that you're more aware of the situations that come from dating, you likely recognize some not-so-great behaviors in other people.

With that said, you aren't out of hope in that situation. Instead, try clicking HERE to read about some ways to talk to your friends about problems within their own relationships.