Today,  the number one reason relationships end in both platonic and romantic relationships is the lack of communication. Through communication, trust, support, and active listening, relationships can grow and thrive. People can be positively impacted by healthy relationships instead of creating walls and bad habits. 

Communication is key; a saying that is commonly said, yet no one seems to apply it to their relationships. Without communication, misunderstandings arise, assumptions are made, and emotional barriers are put up. If only people applied this saying to their daily lives, many problems, personal and superficial, could be avoided. If people would simply stop and talk to each other, people would understand each other and the world would be a happier place. Communication does not only apply to problems, it applies to any situation. By communicating what someone is up to or letting them know that they’re not comfortable in a certain situation, communication is being practiced. So, when a bigger problem arises, the healthy habits are already there and the conversation flows better and both people are comfortable sharing what is on their mind.

Trust is a key factor in both romantic and platonic relationships. Communication is a cornerstone of healthy and thriving relationships, playing a crucial role in fostering trust between two people. To grow closer to one another, people need to be open and nonjudgmental of each other. Often people lie to each other to protect the other person or to try to prevent a bigger problem. In reality, lying is never the answer. Lying in any relationship puts a strain on the relationship and causes bigger problems down the road. According to Golden Steps ABA, people lie to each other one to two times per day. This shows that people are comfortable with lying to each other. The main reason why lying has become a norm is because of technology. It is much easier to lie to someone over text because they are not face to face. When someone lies in real life, you can see their face gets red, they start to sweat, and they visibly get nervous. Over text, this is not shown, therefore people do not feel as guilty as they would lying to someone's face. This causes people to put up relationship barriers and avoid openly talking to each other. Without trust, relationships can’t grow and people get hurt. By communicating through difficult times, people grow closer and trust each other more.  

To go along with that, being supportive and vocal about one another is just as important. Without support and empathy in a relationship, people become more guarded and are reluctant to tell each other things. To have a healthy relationship, by showing support, no matter how big the achievement, people can show the other person they are there for them and support them through anything. By vocalizing how proud they are of the other person's achievements and showing them support by comforting them in difficult times, the two people can grow closer.

To have quality communication, active listening is crucial. By giving full attention to the speaker, people are showing them that they are listening and nothing else is distracting them from the conversation. By making exceptional eye contact with the speaker, the speaker feels seen and understood. Today, technology plays a huge role in our lives. People sit behind screens communicating instead of face to face. People lose out on in-person interactions that make people hold eye contact and have posture that ensures the speaker they are listening. By being on technology so often and for long periods, when it comes time for people to listen, they’re unable to and the speaker feels unheard and dismissed. Society has noticed this and although some have decided to do something about it, not everyone is participating. In schools, teachers enforce eye contact and communication by requiring the children to talk to each other for the entirety of the class. By doing this, they are learning how to show the speaker they are listening and are interested in what they have to say by displaying good posture. However, without these class periods or teachers educating their students, people never learn these skills. This causes people to become uncomfortable with having difficult or everyday conversations in their relationships. Without being able to have face-to-face conversations, a whole new set of problems comes into play. People start interpreting tone because text messages can be taken in different ways. Since texts can be vague and dry, people can take messages the wrong way causing issues in the relationship. 

In conclusion, relationships depend on communication, trust, support, and active listening. Combining all of these sets the scene for a healthy, fruitful relationship. By setting the phone down, people can connect on new levels, growing them closer together.