The Snuggle Factor

According to staticians there will be seven billion people living on this earth as of November. That’s a lot of people. But you know, of all that seven billion, morally there’s only one that I can snuggle up with. Fortunately for me, that one is the one I most want to cuddle with.

There’s something special about just cuddling together. Whether you’re sitting in front of a crackling fire, watching a movie, or just talking about your day, being able to put your arms around each other and get close while you’re doing it converts a normal activity into a time of togetherness. Three cheers for the snuggle factor!

According to Gary Chapman’s famous book, “The Five Love Languages,” physical touch is one of the ways we express and understand love. It doesn’t necessarily have to be sexual, just being in contact with another is enough to express your love for them. It’s almost like we have invisible electrical connections that automatically plug in when we get in contact, sharing a current of love between the two.

Actually, biology backs up that idea. The level of one of our hormones, oxytoxin, increases with physical contact. This chemical, like all other hormones, has an emotional effect on us; that is, the effect of causing us to feel “in love” with the other person. The more contact and the more intimate the contact, the greater the level of oxytoxin released into our systems.

Day 101 – How is it that when we are dating we are always in contact with each other? Whether we’re walking down the street, driving in the car, or sitting on the sofa, we have to be touching one another. An even more important question is, “When and how did we lose that habit?”

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and you really should) is to reform the habit of being in physical contact with your wife. Stop sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, when you are watching the television. Learn how to walk arm-in-arm again. If you can, get rid of the bucket seats in the car, and put a good old fashioned bench seat in, so she can sit beside you. More than anything, hug her.

Everyone knows romance is about generating feelings of love. Yes, it is about doing that in a way to make your wife special. Well, guess what? Snuggling together can make you both feel pretty special. After all, one in seven billion is really, really special.