Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Can your marriage stand on one leg?

I am a flamingo. I am standing perfectly still in flamingo pose with one foot firmly rooted to the ground and the other balanced away from my body. I breathe in. I breathe out. I am calm and pleased by my ability to stay so centered.

I used to thank all those yoga classes for my sense of balance, but maybe it comes from my great marriage.
In one of the more bizarre studies I've read, there is new research to suggest that the ability to balance on one leg may be a good indicator of the stability of your intimate relationship. In several tests around the field of embodied cognition (the interconnection between our emotions and our physiology), researchers scanned brain activities while participants read varying emotional messages while holding hot or cold packs.

I've read that last bit of science before - people who drink warm beverages in the morning (coffee, tea) are more likely to have warm feelings to others in the mornings, as opposed to people who drink cold beverages. And some people are just mean in the mornings no matter what they are drinking.

But this study took things one step further and had half a couple stand on one leg while answering questions about their relationship, and then they had to write a short message to their partners. The other person that got to stand on two feet had warmer messages to their loved ones than those who had to keep balanced while answering questions. But those with really strong relationships had warm messages no matter how they were standing - the instability of their stances didn't translate into any instabilities in their relationship.

So, there you have it: For a happy relationship, keep both feet on the ground.

What keeps your marriage happy? Tell me in the comments.

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