Getting married is an exciting time. If you want to strengthen your marriage for years to come, start by giving special attention to your sex life.
As newlyweds, you probably don’t think you need advice on how to keep things hot and heavy in your marriage. But physical pleasure aside, there are many emotional and physical benefits to having a regular, satisfying intimacy life with your partner.
Your sex life can have a big impact on the rest of your marriage. Emotional intimacy grows as you and your partner share these physical moments. This can build a strong bond of trust between the two of you and may even strengthen monogamy.
Here are 8 reasons why intimacy in marriage can boost relationship satisfaction for the rest of your lives.
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It Improves Communication
One way that intimacy in marriage can strengthen your relationship is by improving your communication skills.
If you want a satisfying sex life, you will need to know how to talk to your partner. Talk about your likes and dislikes in the bedroom. You can talk about what you’re comfortable with, what hurts, and what fantasies excite you.
Couples who know how to talk to one another have a large advantage over those who don’t. Communication is how you grow closer together, build trust, identify problems, and resolve conflict.
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It Enhances Cardiovascular Health
Your cardiovascular health involves your heart and your blood vessels. Studies show that sex that leads to orgasm can have a positive effect on your heart. It does this, in part, by releasing the hormone oxytocin. This hormone has stress-relieving qualities that lower stress.
Another study shows that men who have sex at least twice a week are 45% less likely to develop heart disease.
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It Helps You Have a Sense of Humor
Let’s face it: sex is not exactly the most dignified act. An act of love? Yes. A graceful ballet of movement? Hardly.
Sex can lead to some pretty humorous moments. From strange bodily noises to hilariously bad ‘dirty talk’, your married sex life can help you and your partner have a better sense of humor.
Just how important is a good sense of humor in a marriage? Very! One study found that couples who share laughs together feel more supported and satisfied in their relationship.
Further studies show that couples who love to laugh will have longer relationships than those who don’t.
A good sense of humor is also good for your health. In a study of 20,934 participants, results show that people who laugh on a daily basis have a lower prevalence of heart disease.
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It Boosts Your Immune System
Ph.D. and sexual health expert Yvonne K. Fulbright says that couples who are sexually active take fewer sick days than those who aren’t as busy in the bedroom. This may be because sex heightens your immune system by increasing germ-fighting antibodies.
Sex can also boost your immune system through your metabolism. Studies show that mice who were oxytocin-deficient had a higher likelihood of becoming obese than mice tested who had healthy oxytocin receptors. This study also shows that oxytocin can have beneficial metabolic effects.
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Physical Intimacy in Marriage Builds Trust
When you have a regular, healthy sex life with your partner, you’re actually improving your bond of trust. This happens, in part, because of the powerful oxytocin released during sex.
Oxytocin is a hormone that can shape the neural circuitry of trust in humans. Simply put, oxytocin promotes trust.
This is largely responsible for bonding between romantic partners as well as mothers and their newborns. Not only does oxytocin increase trust in a marriage, it also heightens emotional intimacy which can further enhance romantic bonds of trust.
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Intimacy Strengthens Your Marriage
The oxytocin released into the body during physical touch can have a special bonding effect on romantic partners.
Studies also suggest that the brain reward system that men experience during intimacy may play a role in male fidelity in marriage.
Love and physical affection have a close relationship. Couples who love one another often tend to be more physically intimate than those with rocky relationships. Studies show that one of the highest predictors in how much a couple verbalizes their love for one another were husbands and wives who were regularly intimate together.
Practicing daily intimacy is the best relationship advice you can follow in order to have a closer, deeper connection to your spouse.
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It Promotes Teamwork
Marriage is all about the three C’s: cooperation, communication, and compromise. Your sex life is a two-person experience that involves all three of these attributes. You want to enjoy and pleasure each other. This requires both of you to communicate openly and to show kindness to your partner.
Teamwork in the bedroom translates to teamwork, empathy, and peace in your married life.
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It’s Fun
Sex between married partners is meant to be fun. Sure, it can boost your health and relationship happiness, but it also feels good.
Orgasm releases feel-good endorphins and stress-lowering oxytocin. Orgasm fills your body with blissful sensations that feel amazing. Who better to share this fun, exciting experience with than the person you love the most?
Having fun leisure time together is important for a happy relationship. One study reveals that marital satisfaction is increased when spouses consider each other to be their best friend. This proves that couples who take time to enjoy each other’s company, in and out of the bedroom, will be happier in the long run than those who don’t.
Sexual intimacy in marriage is important no matter how long you have been together. Your sex life strengthens your emotional connection and heightens your trust in one another. A regular, healthy sex life can also improve communication and has many health benefits. Start your marriage off healthy and happy with a regular, satisfying sex life.