How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science of Finding Love

by Logan Ury

The goal is not to convince each other to change or even to come to an agreement—it’s to find a productive way to live with this difference.

Laughing releases oxytocin—the same bonding hormone released during breast-feeding—and makes us trust the other person more. (And if it’s oxytocin we’re after, laughing is a more socially appropriate activity on a first date than breast-feeding.) Laughter lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, allowing us to relax. Laughter also creates a dopamine hit, activating our brain’s pleasure centers. It reinforces our behavior and makes us want to go back for more.

“What’s the point of rushing if you’re not headed in the same direction?”

Couples who wait one to two years before getting engaged are 20 percent less likely to get divorced than those who wait under a year before putting a ring on it. Couples who wait at least three years before engagement are 39 percent less likely to get divorced than those who get engaged before a year.

Lmao to today’s reality TV shows where “contestants” get married within minutes or a month of meting each other