I made my husband stare into my eyes for four minutes, on the advice of a happiness researcher. Did it work?
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n January, business professor and happiness researcher Arthur C Brooks appeared on the Modern Wisdom podcast to offer advice on optimizing morning and evening routines. His tips seemed reasonable – think exercising early and no alcohol before bed. Then, for couples, he made a kookier suggestion: every night before going to sleep, spend five minutes holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.
“This is the best thing ever,” he enthuses, explaining that it can help with mood management and to strengthen your relationship.
It sounded odd, but the idea was not entirely new to me. In 2015, the New York Times published an essay by Mandy Len Catron called To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This. The author had read a study about increasing intimacy by asking a series of 36 personal questions, then staring into the other person’s eyes for four minutes. Catron revealed she did the exercise with someone – and fell in love with him.
