Phone PINs and medical results: what happy couples share with each other

People who are happy in their relationship appear to open up to their partner much more. That is the suggestion of the “ElitePartner Study 2026”, published in Hamburg in early October by the German online matchmaking service. Market research firm Fittkau & Maaß surveyed 4,350 people in relationships aged 18 to 69 in Germany online in October and November 2025; the sample was quota-based and weighted by age, gender and federal state. Caveats: the study was commissioned by a commercial provider, only internet users were surveyed, and the figures show associations, not causes.

Couples most often share their medical results (68.7 per cent). 65.1 per cent confide experiences to their partner that no one else hears about, 60.3 per cent talk openly about their fears and 55.7 per cent know the access codes to each other's phone or laptop. 39.1 per cent talk about sexual wishes. The gaps by satisfaction are large: 65 per cent of satisfied respondents talk about fears, against only 24 per cent of dissatisfied ones; for sexual wishes the figures are 43 and 11 per cent. An always-open bathroom door, by contrast, says little (33 versus 31 per cent).

Age matters too: brushing teeth side by side at the sink is part of life for 56 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds but only 23 per cent of 60- to 69-year-olds. Medical results, on the other hand, are shared by 78 per cent of the oldest group and 59 per cent of the youngest. “Self-disclosure and emotional closeness reinforce each other,” said psychologist Lisa Fischbach, head of research at ElitePartner. What matters, she said, is that the other person reacts positively – with the message that you are fine just as you are.