Feel like your love-life is lacking a little hotness lately, parents?
Well, before you splurge on boutique hotels and 50-Shades style accessories, you might want to try this simple trick that even science says can re-light the spark in your relationship.
Because it seems while movies and media have conditioned us to believe attractiveness and sexual adventurousness are key to a great sex life, a new study has just come up with a more realistic answer – attentiveness.
This is what the researchers had to say: "Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain desire in their long-term relationships. But simply responding to a partner's needs and making them feel special and appreciated can actually increase feelings of sexual desire, especially for women."
The researchers at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology and the University of Rochester asked 100 couples to keep a relationship diary for six weeks. In them, each partner recorded their own feelings of sexual desire as well as how responsive they perceived their partner to be. They also wrote about how special and valued their partner made them feel on a day-to-day basis.
"People who perceive their partner as responsive believe that this partner understands and appreciates their needs, as well as reacts supportively to their goals," said lead study author Gurit E. Birnbaum, Ph.D. "This is important because it shows that you not only care about your partner's well-being, but that you truly understand his or her wants and needs."
Fancy giving this little attentiveness trick a go yourself? According to Birnbaum, you should try setting aside time to talk and listen to your partner every day, without judgment or interruption. And the idea is that this intellectual intimacy could lead to greater sexual intimacy behind closed doors.
What do YOU think, mamas? Could your love-life do with a little more attentiveness?
