New study from Europe finds that couples benefit from a few minutes of daily meditation or guided relaxation.
Is mindfulness or relaxation training helpful for romantic relationships? European researchers wanted to know. They randomly assigned 989 couples to either a mindfulness group or a relaxation group. Couples ranged in age from 21 to 83 years old and had been in relationships for an average of 23 years. Mindfulness training involved daily 10-minute audioguided exercises that included paying attention to posture and breath, directing attention to experiences, and being aware of thoughts and feelings during interpersonal interactions.
The relaxation group completed 10-minute daily guided relaxation exercises.
At study’s end, both groups reported similar levels of relationship well-being, suggesting that either strategy might be useful for supporting relationship health.