We Value Curiosity More In Our Doctors Than In Our Romantic Partners

This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to reflect on one of the most important relationships in your life: that beautiful, clinical union between you and your doctor.

Now think about whether the things you value in your doctor-patient relationship are the same as the things that matter in your romantic life. It may seem like an odd comparison, but according to the findings from a recent Zocdoc survey titled “Match Made in Medicine,” what you expect of your doctor is actually pretty similar to what you expect of your significant other, with a few key exceptions.

Here are some of our favorite takeaways:

We really don’t like to be kept waiting at the doctor’s office. Eighty percent of respondents said it matters that their doctors are punctual, while only 76% cared about a first date being on time.
We’d rather talk about sex with our M.D.’s than our S.O’s. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they would be comfortable talking about their sexual health and history with a longer-term doctor compared to the 57% who said they’d have that chat wtih a long-term romantic partner.
Forty-three percent of people want their doctor to have a sense of humor. (Anything to make that yearly physical a little more enjoyable, right?)
Curiosity matters. Eighty-two percent of people want their doctors to ask them good questions, while 59% say this quality matters on first date.
Nearly three out of four people said they hope their doctors are good listeners. Women were 18% more likely than men to consider listening skills important.
Forty-one percent of people said that it’s “more difficult to maintain a long-term relationship with a doctor than with a romantic partner.”

The findings underscore how much we value a strong connection with our doctors, and with good reason. Research suggests that the quality of our relationships with our doctors, much like our partners, can affect our health outcomes.