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Happy couple

We’re constantly being told that communication is key, trust is imperative, but what’s the key component to romantic happiness?

According to new research – it’s laughter.

Social psychologist Laura Kurtz, from the University of North Carolina, was fascinated by the concept of shared laughter in romantic relationships.

She took 77 heterosexual couples who had been in relationship for an average of four years.

The couples were asked to tell the story of how they first met, and then researchers counted how many times the couple laughed and for how long that laughter lasted.

Laughing with your loved one is an important part of your relationship, says Kurtz

Participants were also asked to complete a survey on their closeness.

And what did researchers find?

“Participants who laughed more with their partners during a recorded conversation in the lab tended to (also) report feeling closer to and more supported by their partners,” Laura told Time.

However, “awkward chuckles, stunted grins and fake guffaws all are flags that there may be something amiss.”

Laura concluded that couples who laugh more together seemed to have higher quality relationships.

“Moments of shared laughter are potent for a relationship. They bring a couple closer together,” Laura added, who said that while it might not seem like rocket science – there’s very little research on laughter’s influence on a relationship.

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