Researchers recruited 82 female teachers—all married or living with a partner—to undergo a program that taught them all about meditation and how to do it. After eight weeks of training, the teachers reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and stressed, while also feeling more compassionate and empathetic. More from Prevention: Find A Mediation Style To Match Your Personality Promising stuff, but researchers wanted to see if those personal benefits would also spill over to relationships. So they had the teachers and their partners undergo a marital interaction test. Couples had to discuss a sore spot in their relationship for 15 minutes, while researchers recorded their facial expressions. “People who show negative expressions [on this test], like contempt and hostility, are more likely to get divorced than those who don’t,” says lead study author Margaret Kemeny, PhD. How’d they do? Compared with people who hadn’t undergone meditation training, the women gave far fewer hostile looks to their partners—a sign of being more understanding of what the other person’s going through. In other words, learning meditation skills made them a whole lot more accepting of their partners. This positive relationship boost was still going strong even five months after the training. Before you write off meditating as a weird, complicated procedure, think of it like this: Meditation is essentially just a moment when you’re really present and aware—with no cell phones or technology to distract you. “Being aware of emotions allows you to make choices in how you express yourself, how you cope, and what you say to your spouse,” says study coauthor Janine Giese-Davis, PhD. To be present during the day—and be more compassionate with yourself and your partner—try these simple tips: Breathe thoughtfully. Once an hour, stop everything you’re doing and focus only on your breathing for 60 seconds. Say “hello” mindfully. The next time you get together with friends, make an effort to notice new details about them (what they’re wearing, the color of their eyes), and observe how you interact with each other, such as whether you feel yourself opening up. Eat carefully. Turn off the TV during meals and limit distractions. Keep your focus on food: Notice how each bite smells and tastes. Lift with purpose. The next time you lift weights, close your eyes for one set of repetitions and concentrate on the movement of your body and how your muscles feel. Check in with yourself. Take a few minutes to periodically jot down a list of emotions you’re feeling at that moment without censoring yourself. More from Prevention: 14 Days To Better Sex
