Laughing, we already know that it is one of the best remedies for morale. But according to a new study published in the journal Personal Relationships, laughing with your partner would be more good for the couple life.
To verify this link between love and laughter, Laura Kurtz, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina (United States) followed 77 heterosexual couples in a relationship for an average of 4 years. His team of researchers asked the couples to recall how they met by filming their responses. The researchers counted how many times the couples laughed together while telling their stories, and how long they laughed. Then, each couple completed a questionnaire about their life as a couple.
The results show a clear link between laughter and happiness of the couple. “In general, couples who laugh more together tend to have better quality relationships,” says Laura Kurtz.
Although the link between laughter and the happiness of the couple seems obvious, this study is one of the first to examine the influence of laughter on the couple in a social context. The researchers also noticed gender-specific trends while conducting their study. They note that the women laughed more than the men, but that the men’s laughter was more contagious. “When men laugh, they are 1.73 times more likely to make their partner laugh too,” adds Laura Kurtz.
Laughter shared as a couple could also indicate that the participants are with supportive partners. “Participants who laughed more with their partners during the conversation recorded in the laboratory said they felt closer and more supported by their partner,” concludes the main author of the study.
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