Married At First Sight isn’t exactly known for its track record of success in partnering couples.
That being said, the introduction of this year’s new expert Alessandra Rampolla definitely gave us a little bit of added hope.
During intimacy week in particular, we saw the clinical sexologist guide this year’s brides and grooms through a series of exercises.
While a few of them left us cringing, there was one that caught our interest; the eye gazing task.
The intimate act has been used before in Arthur Aron, professor of psychology at the State University of New York’s now famous study that saw a couple engage in 36 specific questions before staring into one another’s eyes to fall in love.
So, is there merit in this exercise? Should we spend more time looking lovingly at our partners to help strengthen our relationships?
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Chantelle, pictured with boyfriend Dylan Alcott, is a renowned sexologist.
(Instagram)We spoke to Lovehoney.com.au‘s resident psycho-sexologist, Chantelle Otten, on our most recent episode of podcast, Love In Reality, to find out.
“It’s a very vulnerable position to be fully present and focus on that other person, build attraction, build connection or be aware of vulnerabilities, anxieties of sorts,” Chantelle affirms to Love In Reality.
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“It’s one of the easiest ways to acknowledge another person by noticing their existence and considering them.”
“It’s vulnerable too because you’re open, your eyes are like the window to your soul.”
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Brides and grooms had to stare deeply into each other’s eyes.
(Channel Nine)Chantelle then went on to add: “Even during sex it’s a great way to build connection and ensure you’re both a hundred percent in the zone.”
“It can help a lot with intimacy, especially in this busy world that we live in.”
We also spoke to Chantelle about ways to keep the spark alive in long-term relationships, varying libidos and finding the balance between the emotional and sexual connection.
Check out the full episode, below.