Marriage Advice: Be Physically Affectionate

Physical attention is one of the best ways to communicate our feelings because we read each other mostly through our body language. Some studies say it's 55 percent, some say 93 percent, but whatever the exact number is, it is high. Be physical with each other. Touch each other a lot, hold hands and hug. Touching is essential to feeling connected and loved, whether it is taking your partner's hand, putting your arm around her or rubbing her back. Ongoing, daily acts of physical attention are so important.

My parents are wonderful examples of this. They have been together for nearly fifty years and are incredibly physically affectionate with each other. This physical connection helps keep them emotionally connected.

There are many studies that show how important physical touch and connection are for babies; without these, they develop mental, physical and emotional problems. Babies need to be touched a lot and that need does not go away as babies become adults -- so make a point to be physically affectionate with each other as much as you can.

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