In this era of modern love, we're only just figuring out the proper etiquette of how to behave on Tinder dates. Certainly, mastering the act of seeming interested but not too interested can be tough, and we've just about come to terms with the fact that the three-day calling rule no longer applies to anyone under the big 3-0. But eventually, after a thousand or so "matches" and a dozen face-to-face encounters, you come to learn the basic protocols of dating in the digital age.

The difficulty of sustaining a long-term relationship, however, dates back to the very beginnings of monogamy. While the people of the internet claim that all it takes to maintain a fulfilling partnership is doing activities together and having sex on the regular, it's apparent that there's much more at stake - especially during the initial stages.

Now, research has revealed that calling your partner those cringe-inducing pet names that you always roll your eyes at could make your relationship stronger.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Pexels]]

Whether it's your standard "babe" or "honey", or something more unusual like an actual pet name, the study - which was conducted by Superdrug Online Doctor - revealed that you have a higher chance of a happier relationship with your partner if you do use one.

Superdrug Online Doctor surveyed over 1,000 adults from a number of countries. They found that US participants were more likely to use pet names - with 87 per cent disclosing that they did - compared to Europeans, who clocked in at 74 per cent.

Accordingly, the odds of having a happy relationship were higher amongst American participants - 16 per cent - compared to the Europeans - 9 per cent.

Interestingly, male participants were more likely to call their partner embarrassing pet names: 85 per cent of men, versus 76 per cent of women.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Nappy]]

So what exactly do they call their ladies?

Per the Metro, a chap called Zak Edwards has a rather unconventional pet name for his girlfriend: "bobblehead or bobble wizard". And apparently it works - "We’ve been together 20 years and I have no idea how it came about" -  Zak told the publication.

Additionally, Keith McNiven, who has been with his girlfriend for five years, calls her "cookie", because she's "sweet and small".

"I call her hunmine, and she calls me hunariah," disclosed Peter. "It’s done ironically – it started about 7 years ago because our friend used to call everyone hun, so we just sort of started taking the piss to each other and it’s stuck around. We’ve been together 10 years.'

Credit: GettyIf the research has you convinced, and you're thinking about giving your beloved a pet name, you should know that some are more acceptable than others.

Americans prefer terms such as "pretty", "beautiful" and "gorgeous", while in Europe, "cutie" and "hun" top the list - along with "schatz" - a German term which translates as "treasure".

As for the least popular, you want to avoid, "papi", "sweet cheeks", "muffin", and of course, "daddy".

In this era of modern love, we're only just figuring out the proper etiquette of how to behave on Tinder dates. Certainly, mastering the act of seeming interested but not too interested can be tough, and we've just about come to terms with the fact that the three-day calling rule no longer applies to anyone under the big 3-0. But eventually, after a thousand or so "matches" and a dozen face-to-face encounters, you come to learn the basic protocols of dating in the digital age.

The difficulty of sustaining a long-term relationship, however, dates back to the very beginnings of monogamy. While the people of the internet claim that all it takes to maintain a fulfilling partnership is doing activities together and having sex on the regular, it's apparent that there's much more at stake - especially during the initial stages.

Now, research has revealed that calling your partner those cringe-inducing pet names that you always roll your eyes at could make your relationship stronger.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Pexels]]

Whether it's your standard "babe" or "honey", or something more unusual like an actual pet name, the study - which was conducted by Superdrug Online Doctor - revealed that you have a higher chance of a happier relationship with your partner if you do use one.

Superdrug Online Doctor surveyed over 1,000 adults from a number of countries. They found that US participants were more likely to use pet names - with 87 per cent disclosing that they did - compared to Europeans, who clocked in at 74 per cent.

Accordingly, the odds of having a happy relationship were higher amongst American participants - 16 per cent - compared to the Europeans - 9 per cent.

Interestingly, male participants were more likely to call their partner embarrassing pet names: 85 per cent of men, versus 76 per cent of women.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Nappy]]

So what exactly do they call their ladies?

Per the Metro, a chap called Zak Edwards has a rather unconventional pet name for his girlfriend: "bobblehead or bobble wizard". And apparently it works - "We’ve been together 20 years and I have no idea how it came about" -  Zak told the publication.

Additionally, Keith McNiven, who has been with his girlfriend for five years, calls her "cookie", because she's "sweet and small".

"I call her hunmine, and she calls me hunariah," disclosed Peter. "It’s done ironically – it started about 7 years ago because our friend used to call everyone hun, so we just sort of started taking the piss to each other and it’s stuck around. We’ve been together 10 years.'

Credit: GettyIf the research has you convinced, and you're thinking about giving your beloved a pet name, you should know that some are more acceptable than others.

Americans prefer terms such as "pretty", "beautiful" and "gorgeous", while in Europe, "cutie" and "hun" top the list - along with "schatz" - a German term which translates as "treasure".

As for the least popular, you want to avoid, "papi", "sweet cheeks", "muffin", and of course, "daddy".