Does money matter in fulfilling your relationship? Did you know that people in the Philippines are the most expressive in Asia when it comes to saying “I love you”? With Valentine’s Day soon upon us, all these secrets about love and relationships have been decoded in a new study released by Prudential Corporation Asia.

The Prudential Relationship Index measured how satisfied people in Asia were with partners, children, family and friends. The study covered 10 Asian markets – Cambodia, Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Across Asia, the Index average satisfaction score was 68 out of 100. People in Vietnam expressed greatest fulfillment with their relationships, scoring 83 out of 100. It was followed by the Philippines and Indonesia. South Korea and China ranked as the bottom two of the list.

When it came to partners, Vietnamese couples were the most fulfilled, while couples in South Korea, despite the country’s high production of romantic TV dramas, had the lowest satisfaction level in Asia.

Over half of adults in Asia told their partners that they loved them at least once a week, with the Philippines being the most expressive about their love: 87 percent used the word "love" each week, and nearly 70 percent did so every day. The least vocal were people in Hong Kong, with less than one third considering it important for an ideal partner to offer expressions of love.

As for the key question "Does money make people happy in relationships?" the answer was no. The study showed that what truly mattered in a healthy relationship was non-material: “being easy to get along with,” “respecting each other’s individuality”, “honesty” “laughter” and “enjoying doing things together”. 

However, money did play a role in relationships, although in a negative way. Money was the biggest source of arguments in Asia, especially in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. People in Cambodia and Hong Kong were least likely to fight over money.

Technology has also become a disrupting force in relationships. The index showed that 37 percent of adults in Asia said their partner sometimes preferred their smartphone to being intimate. A total 31 percent admitted that they themselves preferred their smartphones to being intimate with their partners. But changes may be coming: 82 percent of people said they would consider having technology-free days in order to spend more time with other people, including a third who said they were already doing so.