Couples release love hormone when creating art together

Valentine’s Day has just passed and all of us are still wondering about our couple goals and how to make relationships last longer. Now, a new study conducted by Baylor University finds that when couples play board games together, or take painting classes with each other, their bodies release oxytocin, also known as the ‘hugging hormone’ that may help bond deeper.

Speaking about it, Karen Melton, assistant professor of child and family studies in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, said, “We were expecting the opposite — that couples playing the board games would interact more because they were communicating about the games and strategies, or because they were competing, and with more interaction, they would release more oxytocin.”

Researchers also expected painting couples would be more attentive to the instructor and canvas than to their partners. Instead, couples in the art class reported more partner-touching than those playing board games.

The study is published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, the journal of the National Council on Family Relations.

Melton added, “Typically, an art class is not seen as an interactive date with your partner. But sometimes couples that were painting turned the activity into a bonding time by choosing to interact — putting an arm around their partner or simply saying, ‘good job’.”

The study is the first to examine how distinct types of leisure are associated with oxytocin release, researchers said.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK