The Handy Way To A Happy Marriage

Research out this month shows that if you want a long and happy relationship, it is vital to hold your partner’s hand. Research from Radox has revealed 95% of people who have been married over 50 years hold hands in public, suggesting this is key to a good long term relationship.

Radox has worked with psychological expert Dr Sandra Scott to show how holding hands has some surprising benefits and can help you improve your relationship. She comments “Research by Radox revealed that the primary reason why people hold hands in public is that it makes them feel more emotionally attached to their partner. This would suggest that couples who demonstrate affection towards each other in public are likely to feel more secure in their relationship”.

People who have been married for over 50 years hold hands more than couples in the honeymoon phase of their marriage. This is no coincidence; according to Dr Sandra Scott, regularly holding hands can be a marker that people are making the effort to keep the affection and romance alive in their relationship – essential to a long and happy union. She comments “The act of physical unity helps promote psychological unity, which is important in developing a close and loving bond, which is vital for maintaining a relationship in the long term. Couples should encourage hand holding for the benefit of their relationship”.

The research shatters the myth of British reserve by showing us to be a surprisingly affectionate nation, with a majority of people claiming they hold hands with their partners in public, and 61% saying they do so often. 77% of people in the survey say they hold hands because it makes them feel close to their partner. Dr Sandra Scott explains how holding hands causes the release of a hormone that encourages us to touch others and want to be touched more. This means the act of holding hands can be a trigger point for couples to become more intimate - so the innocent act of holding hands can create the chemistry to take things further!

Interestingly, the research shows that men and women interpret the act of holding hands differently. Three times as many women as men claim that holding hands makes them feel safe and secure. Men, however, are considerably more likely to hold hands to demonstrate to other people that they are with their partner.

The health reasons for keeping having clean hands are well known, but this research reveals an extra incentive – research shows 90%* of people find rough, dirty hands a major turn off. So to encourage hand holding and reap all the benefits this brings, you need clean, soft hands!

To help you keep close to your partner this Valentine’s Day, Radox have launched an exclusive new ‘Heart Warming’ Hand Wash. With a luxurious red berries and camomile fragrance, it will leave your hands feeling clean and holdably soft. The Hand wash is part of the new ‘Heart Warming’ range, which also includes a Shower Cream and Herbal Bath. The products will help raise awareness and funds for the British Heart Foundation’s Valentine Appeal, which aims to raise £1 million to fund BHF heart nurses and the Heart Information Line in the UK.

Jackie Skeel, Valentine Appeal Campaign Manager at the British Heart Foundation, adds, “With your support, the BHF could help care for even more heart patients and their families, whether in their homes or on the telephone. By supporting our Valentine Appeal you’ll be helping us to make a real difference to many more patients”.

For more information visit radox.co.uk.

Research from Data Monitor 2007.