Happy Couples Nestle Together at Night, Survey Finds

• Tweet
• Pin It

Your sleeping position with your significant other offers clues about the quality of your relationship, according to a new study.

Researchers asked more than 1,000 people about their preferred position at night and to rate their relationship quality.

“One of the most important differences involved touching,” study author Richard Wiseman, a psychology professor the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., said in a university news release. Ninety-four percent of couples who spent the night in contact with one another were happy with their relationship, compared to just 68 percent of those who didn’t touch, he said.

Forty-two percent of couples said they slept back to back, 31 percent slept facing the same direction, and 4 percent slept facing each other.

Twelve percent of couples spent the night less than one inch apart while 2 percent slept more than 30 inches apart.

The farther apart couples slept, the less likely they were to be happy. While 86 percent of those who slept less than an inch apart were happy with their relationship, the same was true for only 66 percent of those who slept more than 30 inches apart.

The study also found that extroverts were more likely to spend the night close to their partners, and that creative people tended to sleep on their left side.

“The results allow people to gain an insight into someone’s personality and relationship by simply asking them about their favorite sleeping position,” Wiseman said.

More information

The American Psychological Association outlines how to keep your relationship happy.

Source: HealthDay

Copyright © 2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

• Tweet
• Pin It