Researchers suggest picking a double-date activity that facilitates personal disclosure this Valentine's Day would be a good idea
New York: Believe it! Striking up a friendship with another couple in which you discuss personal details of your life may bring you closer to your own partner.
Researchers suggest picking a double-date activity that facilitates personal disclosure this Valentine's Day would be a good idea.
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Going on a double date may be more effective at re-igniting passion in your own relationship than the classic candle-lit dinner for two.
“Passionate love is one of the first dimensions of love to decrease in couples over time as the newness of a relationship begins to wane,” said Keith Welker, a doctoral student at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
“Any setting where couples can talk, exchange information about each other and respond to each other in a validating, thoughtful manner could apply,” explained Welker.
Welker, with his adviser Rich Slatcher wanted to extend the research to investigate how self-disclosure between couples affects closeness and feelings of passionate love.
“We were expecting that the formation of a friendship between two couples in the lab would increase closeness and relationship satisfaction," said Welker.
However, they found the robustness of the effects on passionate love surprising in two studies with about 150 couples.
“The more that the other couple responds to your self-disclosures in a validating and caring way when on a double date, the more passionate you feel about your own relationship,” explained Welker.
One very practical application could be going out to dinner with another couple.
But opt for dinner at home as that would ensure more disclosure than a date at a restaurant!
- With inputs from agencies
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