Keep love alive... with a photo of partner on desk

FOR some it is a source of pride, for others unnecessary clutter.

But for those wanting to give their relationship a lift, keeping a photo of your partner on your desk may just do the trick.

Researchers who studied married people found that looking at images of their spouse boosted the amount of attachment – the ‘comforting feeling of emotional bonding’ – they felt towards them. The team, from the University of Missouri-St Louis in the US, showed married men and women 25 photos of their other half, as well as 25 ‘pleasant’ photos and 25 ‘neutral’ ones – to check if just looking at photos had any mood-boosting effect.

The study, in Journal of Psychophysiology, found the average attachment level was 90 per cent after viewing the spouse pictures, but 57 and 53 per cent respectively after the other photos.