The One Thing Couples Should Do More Of Together

It's Valentine's Day, the day of romance for romantics. The is one thing that couples should do more of together and not just today.  No, it's not as salacious as you might think and it's something that couples can do everyday and pretty much anywhere. You can do it walking down the street. It can be done while your driving or sitting and watching a movie or television. This activity requires no stress and best of all, it's free to do.

Whether you think it's romantic or cheesy, holding hands serves an important purpose for our mental health, experts have claimed. The act of clasping fingers with a romantic interest dampens down 'threat' signals sent by the brain when we sense we are alone.

According to James Coan, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, ‘to the human brain, the world presents a series of problems to solve.

‘And it turns out being alone is a problem.’

According to the Daily Mail...The hands are loaded with sensitive nerve fibers that connect to the vagus nerve in the brain - the epicenter of our parasympathetic nervous system. This system oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate.

Physical touch in the form of hand-holding, hugging and cuddling also prompts the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, like oxytocin and serotonin, that help people feel bonded to one another.

In one study involving 16 married women who were told they would receive an electric shock, those who held a stranger’s hand saw a reduction in the brain’s threat response according to scans.

The sense of relief was even greater when the women held the hands of their husbands.The happier the couples said they were in their relationships, the more their partner’s hand dampened the brain’s response to the shock.

So, remember, if you are close enough to you significant other than you're close enough to hold their hand and get some of that precious oxytocin released.

6 Dating Trends for 2024 That Will Make You Want to Be Celibate

Plenty of Fish released its annual list of new dating trends they expect to see next year.

Great.

They also have some new terms to help singles understand the dating pool. Which we will get to in a moment.

But before we get there, let's talk dating in the new millennium. These dating trends have emerged in the last decade, and boy, are they infuriating.

Buckle up!

Ghosting: This trend is like a magic act, but instead of a rabbit in a hat, you find your date disappearing into thin air! Seriously, can't people just say, "I'm not interested"?

Zombieing: Just when you thought they were buried in the dating graveyard, they rise from the dead with a "Hey, stranger." Please, spare me!

Breadcrumbing: They leave a trail of breadcrumbs, making you believe there's hope, but it's just a trail of deceit. It's like dating Hansel and Gretel's wicked witch!

Catfishing: Ever met someone online who turns out to be a completely different person in real life? It's like buying a burger in the picture and getting a sad, deflated patty.

Slow-fading: You're on the Titanic of love, and your date is slowly sinking without telling you. Come on, just admit you're not into it instead of pretending to be too busy to reply.

Orbiting: They're not texting you, but they're lurking on your social media like an alien spacecraft in your orbit. What's the point?

Benching: You're like the substitute player on their bench, waiting for your chance. It's like they have a whole dating roster and you're just a backup plan.

Love bombing: They shower you with affection, and you're thinking, "This is amazing!" Until it's not, and you realize they're emotionally unstable.

DTR (Define The Relationship): The moment you bring up DTR, they vanish into thin air, avoiding the conversation like it's the plague. Can we get some closure, please?

But now, there are MORE terms to understand. And they will make you want to be a nun.

Here are 6 Dating Trends for 2024 That Will Make You Want to Be Celibate

A play on the term "rose-colored glasses." Rizz is short for charisma. It's when you fall for someone because they're charismatic, but then realize you'll never have a real relationship with them.

Short for "vision board dating."  Adjusting your dating app location to somewhere you're thinking of moving to.

Short for "premature intimacy."  It's like TMI, or "too much information."  It's when you share too many personal details too early in a relationship.

It's when you use "therapy speak" too much, and act like you're more evolved than you really are.

It's "cultivating your identity outside of a relationship."  So, putting yourself first.  It's a play on "cannon ball."  But also, a "canon event" is slang for a pivotal moment in your life that changes everything. 

When the person you're with suddenly feels icky, because they're way too focused on one specific topic.