It’s always a little odd and a little fun when best friends get “leveling up” their relationships. I remember watching How I Met Your Mother and thinking, “Barney and Robin will not be together! It’d be too weird! They know each other too well already, two bro with strong connection, two cigar lovers, Scotch drinkers. How could a romantic relationship with your best friend even work?!”

But scientists show that marriages have double the satisfaction if the spouses say their hubby is their best friend, and for many good reasons. The biggest one being that couples who say they married their best friend have a less than 30% rate of divorce. Maybe you’re thinking about taking the plunge and asking out your current best friend or are working on becoming best friends with your current partner. Either way, know that the advantages of marrying your best friend are huge.

First thing first, and even obviously, they know you well

And by that, I mean really really understand you. They know each other’s favorite books, dishes, type of music get them psyched, even hate the same person. They know your dream of being a billionaire just to buy the stupid iPhone merchandises. They also know how to annoy you with ease just to see you suffer like wiping off their snacks, keep the light on after leaving room, ...

You can be so real you

There’s no need to pretend who you are in front of your BFF. You are free to just be. That means you can freely share your dreams, worries and desires. You can bring your true self and not even hope they understand since you know that they already accept it.

Marilyn Monroe said it best, “If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” It can take a good long while before a new partner sees you at your worst, but your best friend has already seen you at your most selfish and most mean-spirited. They’ve seen you when you’ve been so mad you could spit or when you forgot (again) a special date, and they’ve kept loving you anyway.

And they’ve seen you at your best. They’ve seen you after you worked hard and got the promotion you wanted or when you met a weight loss goal. They’ve cheered you on along the way and are there to celebrate with you when the day is done.

You completely trust one another

We’ve all had those friends who will blab about you behind your back the moment you leave a room, but your BFF would never do that. They’re the ones who always have your back and always have your best interest at heart. They’re the ones who will run to your defense the moment someone says something bad about you, but also be able to tell you lovingly and kindly how you maybe should sort of think about apologizing to your boss for that thing you said.

You have things in common already

To understand a person is hard, to completely discover their personalities is even harder. But it’s no need anymore, say that you have already known them for life. Whatever it may be, you have shared interests and passions that help you spend quality time together. Not only that, it builds a sense of “we” that is integral to a happy marriage.

In controversy, because you feel fully secure with each other, you also feel secure to be your own person. That means maybe you go on a fishing trip with the guys or she spends an afternoon gabbing it up at the hair salon. Maybe you watch football while she turns on The Bachelor in another room. There’s no need to be jealous or misjudge your partner when you even know what they are doing here.

Whatever happens, thick or thin, you know they’ll always be there. Life will be an adventure because, whether it be traveling to the further, starting a business together, or embarking on the craziness of parenthood, you’ll get to do it with your best friend. The person who always lifts you up and wants you to be the best possible you. The person who makes life fun.

You can read more about delivering a happy marriage.