When you’ve been with someone for many years, it’s so easy to let life get in the way and the spark to explode.
But psychologists from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the US has discovered a surprisingly easy way to reignite the passion, and all you need is a photo.
Research has found that looking at pictures of your partner for just a few seconds can increase feelings of love, bonding, and marital satisfaction.
“Looking at pictures of partners is an easy strategy that can be used to stabilize marriages where the main problem is declining feelings of love over time,” the authors write.
A study finds that looking at a partner’s photos for a few seconds can increase feelings of love, bonding, and marital satisfaction (stock photo)
The level of falling in love (a), attachment (b) and relationship satisfaction (c) with the participants while viewing the pictures and sayings. Viewing partner pictures produced the highest scores in all categories, and the previous positive statement made no difference
There’s nothing like the butterflies you feel at the start of a new relationship, but keeping them alive through the years isn’t always easy.
A sad and oft-quoted statistic is that 42% of marriages in the UK end in divorce, and this year divorce rates are expected to reach their highest level in 50 years.
Couples fall out of love for many reasons, and the most common reason is “unreasonable behavior” in 2021.
However, the researchers wanted to know if there was an easy way to help couples in long-term or long-distance relationships rekindle the spark.
This could be by looking at pictures of their partner, reading positive things about them or both.
For the study, published in the Journal of Psychophysiology, they recruited 25 married people who had known their partners for an average of 11.9 years.
Participants themselves first reported information about how long they had been married as well as their level of love and bonding with a partner.
Participants were shown a set of 25 images, each of which appeared on a computer screen for 1 second. Some of these were non-intimate photos of their partner, while others were just “fun” or “neutral” photos that didn’t show their partner. Before showing some of these images, a statement appeared on the screen to help regulate the participant’s emotions. During the task, participants had to use a slider to indicate their level of infatuation and attachment to their partner, as well as their relationship satisfaction. Pictured: an experimental protocol
Then, they were presented with a set of 25 images, each of which appeared on a computer screen for 1 second.
Some were non-intimate photos of their partner — alone, with them, or with others — while others were old “Neutral” or “nice” photos where the partner is not shown.
Before showing some of these images, a statement appeared on the screen to help regulate the participant’s emotions.
For example, before they see a picture of their partner, they might say “Think of a good personality trait your partner possesses” or “Think of something nice your partner has done.”
Or before they see a cute public photo, they might read “This guy’s living his surfing dream” or “This guy’s celebrating his 100th birthday.”
Neutral images were never preceded by a stimulus for emotional regulation.
During the task, participants had to use a slider to indicate their level of infatuation and attachment to their partner, as well as their relationship satisfaction.
They also had their delayed positive potential (LPP) — the electrical brain activity potential that indicates emotional arousal — recorded using an EEG.
Using this data, the researchers were able to assess what kind of images increase one’s love for their partner, and whether previous positive statements had an effect.
LPP was increased most with even pictures, but only to a medium level with pleasing pictures and minimally neutral pictures. However, while the statements increased LPP with the pleasurable images, they had no effect on this tension when they preceded the two images. Pictured: the average LPP of study participants while viewing images and data
When not preceded by an emotional regulation statement, the participants themselves reported the greatest increase in infatuation, attachment, and pair bonding while looking at their partner’s photos, compared to other types of photos.
LPP is also improved with even images, but only to a medium level with fun images and minimal neutral images.
However, while the statements increased LPP with the pleasurable images, they had no effect on this tension when they preceded the two images.
Nor did it affect self-reported inclinations to partner or pleasurable images.
So it has been concluded that simply having a picture of your partner on your desk or in your wallet increases your love for him, at least in the short term.
“This study indicates that looking at pictures of partners increases love and satisfaction in a relationship, and this is not due to an increase in positive emotions not associated with the partner,” the authors wrote.