There are few things as adorable as two (or three!) animals huddled together in an embrace of love, warmth, jest or just for the heck of it. Call it cuddling, getting cozy, spooning, or just plain cuuuuuute. Get your daily dose of cuddly goodness here.
Science can now explain your boyfriend's love of spooning. If a long-term relationship involves lots of kisses and cuddles, the man will be more satisfied, according to a new study. Researchers from The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction expected to find the opposite, that women needed physical signs of affection more than men. But their research discovered that women are more likely to stay in a relationship if they're sexually satisfied, while men cited hugs, kisses, and cuddles.
Looking at couples from all over the world in long-term relationships lasting one to 51 years, the study found several factors impact a relationship's success. Men who are healthy are more likely to report satisfaction with the relationship, and women become more satisfied later in the relationship. For women, happiness starts to decrease between year one and 15, picking up again at year 20 and 50 of the relationship, most likely after any child rearing.
As for cuddling and kissing, the researchers aren't sure if all men crave it or if men who stay in long-term relationships are the type of men predisposed to valuing such affection. In addition, women in lasting relationships may have increased sexual satisfaction over time because sexually unsatisfied women would end the relationship — therefore a study looking at long-term couples would only deal with sexually satisfied women. They plan to conduct more research to further explain.
Do these results surprise you as much as they surprised the researchers?
Weigh in and tell us if you forgive or not forgive this True Confession.
"When my boyfriend and I fight, I have a couple guy friends I can always call to come cuddle with me. I don't have any sexual feelings towards them, but if my boyfriend knew I did this he would be devastated yet I still continue to do it. Can I be forgiven for turning to other men for comfort?"
Some people are cuddlers by nature, while others need their space, but then there are those who like a little bit of both. Like I've said before, I didn't used to be a cuddler, but I can now appreciate that connected feeling you get when you're in the arms of the person you love even when you're sound asleep. Now I know cuddling depends on the time, the place, and the person, but tell me, do you like to cuddle in bed or are you the type who sleeps on the opposite side of the bed, as far away from your significant other as possible?
As embarrassing as this might be to admit, I still sleep with a blanket — there, I said it, but guess what, according to the March issue of Glamour, I'm not alone! Twenty-seven percent of the women they surveyed owned up to still sleeping with a stuffed animal so now it's your turn to answer the question. Ladies, be honest, do you still sleep with something from your childhood?
