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New Study Says People Prefer Playful Partners


playful couple
Enjoy some sweet, intimate playfulness with your loved one.
In not-so-surprising news, people value a sense of humor and playfulness in relationships.

I have to admit, when I jumped head-first into my current relationship back in April, I didn't put much thought into exactly why I was attracted to my now-boyfriend.

However, thanks to science, I can confidently say that his non-aggressive nature and unlikeliness to harm me or my potential future offspring earned him major points. On that same note, he probably likes me for my youth and fertility.

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No, we're not weirdos; we're just playful. The definitions — and the importance of playfulness in a relationship — come from a recent Penn State study on attraction. The researchers sought to further investigate a list of characteristics that people find desirable in potential mates. To do so, they surveyed 164 male and 89 female undergraduates. From the results, they added "playful," "sense of humor" and "fun loving" to the initial list.

It's interesting that something as seemingly obvious as a person's sense of humor wasn't included on the original desirable characteristics list, but at least it's on there now (just in case daters of the world need a checklist to bring on their next OKCupid date). 3 Ways to Bring Playfulness (Back) Into Your Relationship

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Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go do my "youth and fertility dance" for my boyfriend (for the curious: I sing "You Don't Know You're Beautiful" into a shampoo bottle) so he doesn't forget how playful I really am.

How do you show your playful side in your relationship?


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