Why gossiping with your partner could be key to a healthy relationship

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"Penning romantic sonnets and preparing candlelit dinners have their place in the pantheon of grand romantic gestures, but if you're serious about building a blissful life together, start with beans spilling them, to be precise. That is according to new research from the University of California, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. It suggests the ancient art of exchanging hot gossip may be one secret ingredient in successful relationships, predicting both happiness and bonding between couples."

"The research team assessed 76 same-gender and different-gender romantic Southern California couples. Participants wore a portable listening device which sampled what they said throughout the day, with about 14 per cent of their daily conversation recorded and analysed by research assistants. The recordings revealed participants spent about 38 minutes per day gossiping, with about 29 of those minutes gossiping with their romantic partners."

The Independent conducts on-the-ground reporting across issues such as reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech, funded by donations to maintain paywall-free access for a broad audience. Donations support sending journalists to report from multiple perspectives and to investigate topics like political financing and documentary subjects. New University of California research links routine gossip between romantic partners to greater happiness and bonding. The study sampled 76 Southern California couples with portable listening devices capturing about 14% of daily conversation, finding an average of 38 minutes of gossip per day, roughly 29 minutes shared with romantic partners.

Read at www.independent.co.uk