The secret to a great marriage? Watch TV and do not talk, study says

Published: 22:00, 27 June 2026 | Updated: 22:21, 27 June 2026 Never mind romantic gestures, candlelit dinners or expensive perfumes. The real secret to a happy relationship is watching TV together and not talking while a programme is on, according to a study. Researchers tracked 84 couples and found that those who often sat down together to enjoy a favourite TV series or movie felt closer and reported stronger relationships than those who rarely did so. However, the study also found that while chatting about a show afterwards made couples even closer, talking during a programme undid all the romantic benefits. Previous studies have found that binge-watching box sets such as Game of Thrones together can strengthen couples' feelings for each other. The results, published in the journal Personal Relationships, showed roughly a third of the couples frequently enjoyed viewing TV together. The study also found that while chatting about a show afterwards made couples even closer The researchers from Ben Gurion University in Israel said: 'Shared reality increases closeness and connection. 'One way of increasing it is to watch TV, which can bolster intimate moments, such as shared laughter, crying and physical touch.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.