What do you have planned for this Valentine's Day? Is it a fancy date or an expensive brunch or have you planned to take your partner out for shopping? Well, a new study has found that it isn't the fancy things that bring a couple closer but rather the little things that they do together like couples therapy exercises. Yes, something as simple as playing a board game or going for art classes together can improve the bond you have with your partner and can bring you closer.
For the study, the researchers conducted a survey on 20 couples aged 25 to 40 and asked them to participate in either a board game night or a couple's art class. Each date lasted an hour and the couples' urine samples were collected both before and after the dates to see how much their oxytocin levels were affected. “Our big finding was that all couples release oxytocin when playing together ― and that's good news for couples' relationships,” said study author Karen Melton. “But men in the art class released 2 to 2.5 times more oxytocin than the other groups. This suggests that some types of activities may be more beneficial to males than females, and vice versa.”
For these couple therapy exercises, the researchers also expected that couples who played board games would bond better as opposed to couples who took art classes. However, it was found that the couples who took art classes reported more touching and bonding as compared to couples who played board games. “We were expecting the opposite ― that couples playing the board games would interact more because they were communicating about the games and strategies, or because they were competing, and with more interaction, they would release more oxytocin,” the researchers said.
“Typically, an art class is not seen as an interactive date with your partner. But sometimes couples that were painting turned the activity into a bonding time by choosing to interact ― putting an arm around their partner or simply saying, 'Good job,'” Melton added. Well, this certainly proves that as long as you're spending some quality time with your partner, it doesn't matter what you do, you'll still end up having a great time. Stay tuned for more updates.
