A study reported in the Daily Mail suggested that more important than sex for a couple’s happiness and health is cuddling. Cuddling provides many benefits besides a sense of security and closeness. It also provides stimulus to our olfactory centers (the smell of our partner makes us feel loved) and our touch centers, and it helps to release oxytocin (the feel-good hormone that helps us feel love toward our partner). Cuddling also provides another form of communication that sexual intercourse doesn’t. It allows us to feel closer without draining our energy. Sometimes the best communication happens when couples are holding one another. RELATED: Why Cuddling Is The Most Underrated Human Activity Many times, couples’ first homework assignment from me is to begin touching each other more and talking less. When sex isn’t going well, not only do you lose that physical connection but you lose the emotional connection too. Often you become more critical of your partner as well as irritable and annoyed. The emotional connection is much more important than the sexual one because the emotional connection determines if the sexual one will happen, and how frequently. Touching and cuddling are the best ways to restore and build an emotional connection. When couples touch, they let down their guard, and begin feeling love and acceptance toward their partner. If cuddling is continued, the feeling of love and connection leads to better communication and sex. Women may fault men saying they don’t like to cuddle and jump too quickly to sexual intercourse. My practice, as well as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, suggests this is not true. According to Kinsey’s research, among couples in committed relationships, tenderness may be more important to the man than the woman; regular kisses and cuddling lead to greater relationship satisfaction in men than in their partners, especially as they grow older. When I talk to couples and ask them to list the number one problem in their relationships, it is men, not women saying the lack of intimacy. When I question further, they talk about missing the touching, caressing, and soft talking they once shared with their partner. The time to begin cuddling is early in the relationship. If you have let that go with raising kids or demanding careers, you can still get it back. Adding a little bit of time into your day to hug or touch your spouse will add a closeness you may have felt was gone forever. RELATED: The Science Of Snuggling: 7 Incredible Benefits Of Cuddling You may not need to mention it to your partner. Sometimes they notice changes in you without you talking about makes it more special. However, if you have a partner who feels like you only touch them when you want sex, then communicating with them about the benefits of cuddling may be a better option. Reassuring them that it is the intimacy and closeness that you want may be enough to convince them to cuddle. Here are a few tips to help you get started with your “cuddle plan.” A couple’s ability to cuddle, not to perform sex, is one of the best predictors of an emotionally/physically close, happy, and healthy relationship. RELATED: Cuddling: The Wonder Drug (That You Can Do In Public) Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC is a psychotherapist, author, speaker, and intimacy and sex counselor. For more information, visit her website.
