In a recent study lead by University of Hertfordshire psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, researchers found that people who sleep very close to their partners in bed are more likely to be happier in their relationship.

In a study of 1,100 people, 86 per cent of couples who slept less than an inch apart felt happy in their relationships, compared with 66 per cent of those who slept more than 30 inches apart.

Researchers found that the happiest couples slept face to face and touched during their sleep. The study also revealed that 42 per cent of couples sleep back to back, 31 per cent face the same direct and just 4 per cent face one another. Couples who slept back to back and touched were as happy as couples who slept facing the same direction and touched.

Interestingly, the study also revealed that extroverts tended to spend the night close to their partners, and more creative types tended to sleep on their left hand side.

The research reveals that the closer that couples are physically during their sleep, whether through space or physical touch, the happier the couples are in their relationship.

“One of the most important differences involved touching, with 94% of couples who spent the night in contact with one another were happy with their relationship, compared to just 68% of those that didn’t touch,” Professor Wiseman commented at he Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Perhaps we should all cuddle a little bit more?

SOURCE: University of Hertfordshire. (2014, April 15). Research reveals what your sleeping position says about your relationship. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 17, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140415203702.htm