A survey was held recently to solicit opinions on whether universities should open classes on intimate relationships from a total of 1,028 students across the country. About 88.23 percent approved of the idea.

Among the respondents, 28.89 percent are currently in a relationship, 37.55 percent are single at present but were once in a relationship, 28.99 percent have never been in a relationship, and 4.57 percent are having a crush or romantically persuing someone.

An online optional course on the psychology behind love affairs and intimate relationships is available for freshmen students at Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

Lyu Nannan, currently a junior student at the school, took the courses in freshman year and gave a thumb-up to the course.

According to Duan Xinxing, the lecturer of the course and a professor with the public relationship school of China University of Mining and Technology, the school opens the course to teach the students how to prevent themselves from being hurt by potential violence or even vicious crimes happening between intimate partners.

Also, emotion relationships, including parent-child, interpersonal and intimate relationships, are proved to have great influences on university students’ mental health.

He hopes the course can help the students set up a healthy attitude towards intimate relationships and be able to help themselves in relevant mental issues.

Although one usually learns how to handle intimate relationship from his or her own real life experience, promoting relationship education at schools can also protect the student’s mental health and lead them to a better life.

A number of universities at home and abroad have opened positive psychology courses on intimate relationships and the quality of life to teach the students on establishing healthy values, on improving their thinking model and the ability of make judgments, and on maintaining optimistic, balanced mindset towards life.

Some universities abroad also require the students to take relationship and sex education courses and pass relevant tests before starting their modules at the school.

(Wang Haolan)