No one is arguing that to love someone, you need to know someone. And over the course of a marriage, people can drift apart as life chips away at the burning passion that once fueled your fairy-tale romance. While communication and compassion are key, it’s also important to remember that you’re not some basic bitch who thinks roses are a novel Valentine’s Day gift. You’re better than that.
Based on a study by psychologist Mandy Len Catron and originally reported by The New York Times, the idea is that intimacy and dialogue help bring people together—how’s that for science? Said study references an experiment in which one control group made small talk while the other was given a list of 36 questions that get increasingly personal. Then, just to make things extra weird, sustained eye contact for four minutes.
