TOUCHES That Lock DOWN HIS LOVE

Talk is cheap. Use these moves and he’ll fall even harder for you.

According to the latest scientific research, one of the keys to a super happy relationship is giving not just good talk...but good touch. A recent study revealed that touch can express specific feelings (such as love), and new research from Sweden discovered that a physical caress activates the brain’s Aemotional area of the person being stroked. “Handling your boyfriend in strategic ways will make him feel closer to you,” explains Paul Dobransky, author of The Secret Psychology of How We Fall In Love. Read on for more sneaky moves. His ears are packed with a tonne of sensitive nerve endings that connect directly to his brain. “And when you stimulate them, it tells his mind to dial down,” says Washington-based David Givens, PH.D., director of the Center for Non-verbal Studies. In fact, this technique is so effective, it’s often used by massage therapists to relax their clients. When you do it on your guy, try experimenting with different pressures to see what he’s most responsive to, and use leisurely strokes.

The same Swedish study found that the most effective caresses were actually slow, not fast. If you really want to make an impact, work this spot while you whisper something soothing yet romantic in his ear (‘I’m so lucky to be with you’). When you do this, your breath creates another form of touch in this already heightened area, since the sound waves generate little vibrations that cause the tiny hair on his ear to stand on end—in a good way. “This makes the earlobe stroke even more powerful, since you’re reinforcing it with another intimate move,” explains Givens. It’s a move known as a half gesture, since it prompts him to complete the action (that is, put his hand in yours). And it’s particularly effective in a situation like this, when you want him to know that you’re