A couple who exercises together will stimulate blood flow to the entire body and in turn
increase feelings of intimacy and increase both individuals sex drive.
According to self - expansion theory, one way to maintain a more satisfying relationship is to engage in novel, exciting activities with your long - term partner.4 Couples who engage in activities that both partners consider exciting (and therefore self - expanding), experience increases in relationship satisfaction.5 Changes in intimacy in a relationship (like those provided by self - expansion) can subsequently increase passion.6 In fact, in a recent study, researchers found that on days when couples experienced an increase in intimacy from the previous day, they report higher levels of passion and were more likely to have sex.7 In terms of a vacation, if a couple takes a trip that they both consider to be exciting (perhaps to a novel place), this may
increase feelings of intimacy, and as a result, heighten passion.
The study had a small sample size, so more research needs to be done surrounding sexting and motivation, but it is clear that sexting is a phenomenon that is not constrained to simply unattached individuals looking for fun; it is used by those in intimate relationships to
increase feelings of intimacy and closeness one's partner.
Not exact matches
But a freedom and openness about the existence
of feelings in parents helps children to be able to own their own
feelings and
increases parent - child
intimacy.
Awareness
of aloneness makes more precious the moments
of intimacy which with
increasing frequency punctuate a growing relationship — moments when one
feels as though he does not see the other «through a glass darkly, but face to face.»
What I wanted was a
feeling of «we» instead
of «you and I» — an expansion
of the idea
of belonging together — but I'm not sure that's universally understood when people talk about
increasing intimacy.
Yoga has also been shown to trigger the release
of the hormone oxytocin, which essentially floods your body with
feelings of positive emotions, relieves anxiety,
increases * sexual
intimacy, regulates cortisol levels, and can stimulate social interaction — which can all lead to
increased levels
of happiness and wellbeing in life.
These include: • Failed attempts to
increase closeness or
intimacy • One or both partner's difficulty expressing
feelings • Betraying partner's experience
of sharing
feelings and not getting any response or a negative response • Betraying partner's tendency to go outside the relationship through work, drug / alcohol use, friends, etc. • Common negative cycles that prevent closeness such as blame / withdraw, criticize / shut down, or mutual blame
This sense
of security,
of feeling truly able to know and be known by your partner, created by intentionally and consistently turning toward your partner, deepens your shared sense
of intimacy and is correlated with
increased marriage satisfaction.
This sense
of security,
of feeling truly able to know and be known by your partner, created by intentionally and consistently turning toward your partner, deepens your shared sense
of intimacy and is correlated with
increased marital satisfaction.
Researchers have long suspected that
increases in
intimacy (the
feelings of closeness and connectedness that result, in part, from sharing information or experiences with someone)-- and not simply high levels
of intimacy — lead to
feelings of passion.1 In other words, when you experience a spike in
intimacy — because you had a deep conversation over a bottle
of wine or went on a long road - trip together — then passion is expected to spike as well; when
intimacy remains stable, passion is presumed to hit the floor.
Using a daily diary approach, researchers examined whether day - to - day
increases in
intimacy were tied to (1)
increased feelings of passion, (2) a greater likelihood
of sex, and (3) greater sexual satisfaction.2 Every day for three weeks, couples completed a brief questionnaire assessing their day - to - day disclosures,
feelings of closeness, and displays
of affection — all components
of intimacy — as well as their
feelings of passion and aspects
of their sex lives.
Feeling understood rather than evaluated, can greatly
increase our sense
of intimacy and connection with our partner.
Consider this interesting research finding: Couples counseling that focused mainly on improving couples communication and problem - solving skills helped reduce negative patterns
of communication but did not lead couples to
feel emotionally closer to one another (emotional
intimacy didn't
increase).
Be mindful
of your experience
of emotional closeness — are you open to and accepting
of an
increase in emotional
intimacy, or do you
feel uneasy and find yourself shutting an emotional door in order to avoid a deeper level
of connection?
If you are a couple, married or in a relationship, and would like to improve communication,
increase intimacy, stop fighting and renew the spark
of earlier
feelings, then working with a therapist who applies Emotionally Focused Therapy or EFT could be for you!
• Refine your ability to share your
feelings & needs • Find out how to eliminate your power struggles • Learn the art
of self - disclosure to
increase intimacy and connection.