Adventure in relationship test
Are you still surprising each other, or has routine taken over? 8 questions to measure how much novelty, spontaneity, and adventure you share.
Adventure as a couple doesn't require climbing mountains — it just takes stepping outside your comfort zone together, even if that means trying a new restaurant. Novelty activates dopamine and reminds the brain why this person is exciting. This test measures how much room exploration takes up in your shared life.
Why does adventure matter in a relationship?
The neuroscience of love shows that the reward system — dopamine — is activated by novelty. When couples seek new experiences together, they reawaken the excitement they feel for each other. Arthur Aron and colleagues demonstrated that novel and challenging activities increase relationship satisfaction even when done in a single lab session. No trip to another continent needed: any experience outside the usual works.
How your result is calculated
Each answer adds points to a total and to four dimensions: novelty, spontaneity, willingness to try, and initiative. Your score is the percentage of the maximum. The breakdown shows whether the brake is in attitude, in who proposes things, or in frequency.
All the quiz questions
When did you last do something neither of you had ever done before?
If one of you proposes an unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary plan, the other usually...
How often do you break the weekly routine with something spontaneous?
When your partner suggests learning something new together (class, sport, trip), you...
Who usually takes the initiative to suggest new plans?
How do you react when a plan goes wrong or doesn't work out as expected?
In the last six months, have you discovered something new together — a place, a flavor, a topic, an activity?
Do you have any pending "adventure project" you actually plan to do?
- Aron, A. et al. (2000). Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities. JPSP, 78(2), 273–284.
- The Gottman Institute — connection rituals and shared exploration
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal for novelty to decrease over time?
Yes, it's natural. The brain habituates. What matters is actively countering that habituation by planning new things together, even small ones.
What if one partner wants more adventure and the other prefers routine?
It's a style mismatch, not a fatal incompatibility. The key is negotiating: the routine-preferring partner can yield on frequency; the adventure-seeking one can yield on intensity.
Do adventure activities have to be big?
No. Arthur Aron's research shows that any novel, mildly challenging activity — even a new board game — activates the reward system in a similar way.
What about your relationship?
Take the quiz and discover your compatibility, communication, and future in minutes.