Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Sex love

    10 (More) Reasons Why He's Scared to Commit

    Dating can be a tough endeavor for some guys. Here's why.

    By Rich Santos
    Published 6 January 2011 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    couple in bed
    (Image credit: btrenkel/iStock)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The reason there's so much discussion about dating is because it's a tough endeavor, especially for guys. The chances of finding someone compatible that you also find attractive are low,and the chances of something going wrong are high.

    Also, once you find this person, you both have to overcome your issues to make it work. And, if you're like me, you've got many, many, many issues.

    Here are tough things about being in a relationship:

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:


    Letting go/Moving on

    Many more of our relationships fail than succeed. And with each failed relationship, the breakup process begins. One of the most difficult parts of the breakup process is letting go of your ex and moving on. Knowing this might be forced upon you at some point, maybe it's safer to avoid getting too close to someone.


    Letting Yourself Love Someone

    Falling in love is risky and overwhelming-yeah, I'm a drama queen.Loving someone, especially at first, is difficult. It's scary to open up and make yourself vulnerable by loving someone, especially if you've been hurt in the past.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.


    Dealing With Someone Loving You

    I struggle with this one a lot: I just can't bring myself to believe that I'm deserving and capable of being loved. My family did an exceptional job raising me, and I had a happy childhood. But, perhaps I'm still holding on to the rejection of when my father left our house for a while when my parents separated, even though they eventually got back together. Whatever the reason, I tend to ask for women to go over the top when showing they are in to me, and this can get tiring for them.


    Thinking Rationally

    Whether things are going well or poorly, it's so hard to think rationally. Do you read into every little thing that is said and done and blow it out of proportion? The imagination is a good friend when it helps you creatively keep the relationship fresh and exciting. But the imagination is an enemy when it creates ideas and thoughts that are not realistic and detrimental to your well-being in a relationship.


    Breaking Up With Someone

    It's at least as hard to dump someone as it is to get dumped. There's so much guilt and pain involved. Usually, when you get into a relationship (you're not thinking about it but) there's a breakup down the line...just like every life includes death (wow, that's depressing).


    Keeping A Spark

    As a relationship continues, it flattens out to an extent. Gone are the days when you're a little giddy, wondering what's going to happen. There's nothing wrong with being on more solid ground, but keeping the spark alive throughout the relationship is key to keeping it healthy and happy. Couples struggle with this, especially as they settle in to married life and their energy turns to making money and raising kids. Sometimes the good of the relationship is put on hold temporarily to make ends meet.


    Committing

    We all know guys have trouble committing, and sometimes women do too.Commitment is the first big risk in a serious relationship, and there are so many reasons to hold us back.


    Remaining Faithful

    Part of the committing issue is that people tend to want variety and freedom to meet others as long as possible. Remaining faithful is a challenge because of human nature-even in marriage.


    Being Satisfied In Life

    I've spoken to married people who told me they put other dreams/wishes on hold to raise a family and settle down. How easy is it to keep everything at optimum satisfaction level: job, love life, home life, spirituality, etc? What we usually get is something that looks like a mixing board: certain things are high satisfaction, some things are dialed down in order to make those certain things higher. For the good of the relationship, you sometimes have to sacrifice other parts of your life: living in a new town,taking risks financially and professionally, etc.


    Working At It

    Even great musicians and athletes blessed with natural talent have to work to master their craft. Relationships are no different. Even if you're a natural fit, you both have to work on it. In a perfect world, it would be effortless, but it's never like that.

    What are your thoughts on my list, and what would you add to the list: what is the toughest thing about being in a relationship, and why?

    Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/richravens

    Explore More
    dating relationships
    Rich Santos
    Latest in Sex love
    Two women covered in blood (Gillian Anderson as Billy and Hannah Einbinder as Kris) stand closely together in a convenience store aisle, with their intertwined hands on a cart. A still from Jane Schoenbrun#039;s #039;Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma#039; (2026).
    Movies Everyone Has Thoughts About Gen Z and Sex. 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Gets It Right
    Princess Diana wears a shimmering blue mini dress and carries a matching blue silk clutch bag
    Royals How Diana Navigated Being a "Newly Divorced Princess"
     
     
    Queen Camilla wears off-white and pale green on her wedding day, including a white hat, to marry King Charles in 2005
    Royals Why Queen Camilla "Felt a Little Broken" on Her Wedding Day
    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married at Madison Square Garden and a sign announces their nuptials outside
    Celebrity What Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Said in Their Wedding Vows
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Emmy Rossum wearing a black dress posing with her hands on her hips at the 2026 Emmys
    Beauty Emmy Rossum's Voluminous Curls at the 2026 Emmys Will Be on My Mood Board Until Further Notice
    Nicole Kidman attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Nicole Kidman’s Emmys Hair Has Me Ready to Retire the Slicked-Back Bun
     
     
    Lukita Maxwell at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Lukita Maxwell Just Made the Baby Bob Fall’s Most Tempting Haircut
    Zendaya at the 2026 Emmys looking over her shoulder and posing.
    Hair Zendaya's Pixie Cut Is the Star of the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.