Watching series and movies as a couple strengthens the romantic relationship

A study shows how spending time with a "blanket and a movie" can reinforce sentimental closeness.

Although the personality of each of the members of a couple has a great influence on their relationship, it is no less true that the habits they share are what really make the bond of love stronger. the habits that are shared are what really make the love bond work or not.. We may not be very similar to the person we are dating, but if there are daily routines that make us feel a special connection, the affective union will be strengthened.

Decades ago, these healthy habits for the couple's relationship could be going for a walk, going to a specific place full of calm, or simply chatting. Nowadays, to all these possible sources of shared well-being, a new routine has been added, which is very common in relationships: watching TV series together. In addition, this routine has special advantages, according to research.

Watching series and movies as a couple unites more

Times change and with them so do the couple relationships. Maybe the development of new technology has led to the formation of love bonds between people from very different backgrounds, without circles of friends in common, but easy access to fiction pieces on television or posted on the Internet help these couples create their own stories, shared anecdotes, and shared anecdotes.shared anecdotes and, in general, all kinds of beliefs, opinions and emotions linked to the hobby of following series together.

According to research, watching series at the same time becomes an emotionally significant experience that is experienced as something shared, in a similar way as it would happen if the members of the couple lived in first person relevant events that occur in their close social circles. The fictional characters become part of both partners' lives, and that makes them feel closer.

How do you know this? A team of psychologists at the University of Aberdeen, led by researcher Sarah Gomillion, have designed a way to measure the effect that series, movies and TV shows have on relationships, as we will see.

How was the study done?

For this research, whose results have been published in the scientific journal Journal of Personal and Social Relationships, The psychologists recruited 259 students with stable relationships (the average duration of these relationships was 16 months) to answer the questions of questionnaires specifically designed for this research. (the average duration of these relationships was 16 months) to answer questions on questionnaires designed specifically for this research.

These questions addressed issues related to the level of satisfaction with the couple relationship, how much time was spent watching TV series as a couple, and how many shared friends one had with one's partner. Also included was how much time was spent reading books together.

The results showed that people who shared more friends with the partner and who used to watch more TV series with the other person showed a higher level of satisfaction with their relationship. However, the link between watching TV together and feeling good about one's partner was much stronger for those who shared few or no friendships with the other. with each other. In contrast, the high scores on mutual trust and emotional closeness stood out.

In a second part of the research, another 128 people with a partner were taken as volunteers and, in this case, divided into two groups. The first group was asked to think about the number of friends they shared with their partner, and the second group was asked the opposite, to think about friends they did not share.

Then, all volunteers answered questions about the amount of TV time and book reading time they shared with their partner, about the degree of motivation they felt to spend more time sharing those kinds of moments, and about their level of satisfaction with their partner.and about their level of satisfaction with their relationship.

The results showed that those people who were more accustomed to sharing television time with their partner and who were conditioned to think about their lack of shared friendships tended to report more willing to spend time watching series, movies and programs together, as if they know that it is beneficial to their relationship.as if they know that this is beneficial to their relationship.

A little "blanket and movie" doesn't hurt.

Of course, these data are only an approximation of the way in which spending time together watching series can strengthen the common experiences and references that we use in the day to day to express ourselves with our partner; it is still necessary to investigate more and find out if there is a pure cause-effect relationship between this habit and the strength of love bonds.

Moreover, it is necessary to remember that all excess is badAnd almost certainly making those moments lying on the couch the main basis of a relationship cannot be good (sooner or later the motortony will take its toll, if not sooner the back pain). However, for the moment we already have more excuses to make a ritual out of this "blanket and movie" hobby. The emotional life can be grateful in the short term.