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A couple’s compatibility isn’t only measured by how well they empathize. Instead, physical intimacy also plays a role in assessing a connection’s success.

Relationships may start with couples getting excited when spending time together, of extreme highs that fuel their connection – the honeymoon phase, as they call it. During this, emotions run high, both parties are easily excitable, and the butterflies in their stomachs are well and alive. Every event happens through a shade of red – of rose-colored glasses that only spotlights positivity and fondness.

However, this period only lasts for long. When people are in love, they won’t only experience and remain in the highs. Relationships get comfortable. That’s how it’s supposed to be. But for some, this comfort ends up pulling couples away from each other, creating a space that can become too empty and deep to be refilled. Instead of comfort, couples feel alone.

Once this happens, relationships are one conflict away from ending. Nobody wants to part with the person they love. But when the relationship feels desolate, should people consider letting go?

Maintaining Relationships Is Hard Work But Not Complicated

Relationships require effort to keep.

But when two people work on the same goal, the responsibility gets divided, and matters become lighter and easier to handle. Often, when it comes to working on strengthening relationships, couples don’t only focus on lessening conflicts and compromising. Instead, this also includes learning the power of physical intimacy. Love requires more than emotional connection. To feel loved, people must also feel welcomed and gently caressed.

In The Seven Principles of Successful Marriage by Hilaire Louis Jean, the author details what nourishes healthy relationships. Although the book focuses on marriages of deeper commitments that may require more work, wisdom gathered through these pages can also be applied in other relationships. After all, to build a strong marriage, couples must start nurturing solid foundations, such as in their earlier relationships. The author believes that by practicing these seven principles, couples are reassured of the authenticity and longevity of their connections.

These principles include trust, faithfulness, fidelity, forgiveness, respect, love, and sex – words that may seem intimidating and immense in meaning.

However, overlooking the complexities in their meanings, these so-called pillars are the basics of every relationship. They’re in the essence of commitment and should be effortless to practice, an instinct people in love typically experience. They must be considered equal, but among the seven listed principles, sex or physical intimacy can seem like the most trivial aspect.

This is where most couples commit a mistake.

No Relationship Survives Without Physical Intimacy

Regarding intimacy, everyone would prefer an emotional bond. It seems more genuine when people love others because they see and understand the beauty in their minds, beliefs, and personalities. Nobody wants to be pursued simply because they’re attractive. Physical attraction is shallow.

This is where the negative connotation of physical intimacy stems from, with society labeling it as a temporary expression of attraction. While there’s a little truth to this theory, physical intimacy is as important as emotional connection. Although others would perceive it as merely satiating a human desire, an interest of little depth to genuine connection, physical intimacy is also a means for people to feel accepted, understood, and cared for.

Such intimacy can translate to emotional benefits when offered with gentleness. It’s not a shallow way of expressing love and interest, for it also conveys physiological benefits.

Author Hilaire Louis Jean perceives physical intimacy as a pillar of relationship success because it pulls couples closer – physically and emotionally. It’s a way for them to reconnect and rekindle, sparking the fire that once burned intensely for each other. Discussions of such intimacy don’t only revolve around touching and satisfying desires. Instead, it means to develop a more profound connection and experience better physical and emotional well-being.

How couples connect physically forms the basis of how well they connect emotionally. This can also influence the effectiveness of their communication and empathy. With physical intimacy, couples ensure they’re both taken care of and comforted in the way they need to be.