Romantic relationships can provide important benefits to the dyads involved in them. Research has shown that positive romantic relationships can increase self-esteem, extroversion, and overall enhanced psychological well-being. However, I think almost everyone can relate to the fact that relationships are not always a positive and smooth sailing experience.
Most of the time, the issues that arise in romantic partnerships are unavoidable. One of the greatest complications that occurs in relationships is communication, especially with the increase in non-face-to-face communication through technology these days. When a relationship begins to become dissatisfying or even harmful, negative emotions and personal attributes tend to follow. Research of newlywed couples who were less affectionate and displayed criticism and complaints reported decreased life satisfaction and even lower physical wellness in these kinds of relationships.
These studies show the importance of satisfying relationships on physical and mental well-being which is why it is important to study ways in which to improve and keep these relationships satisfying. Therapy and psychological methods are the current primary approach to keeping healthy relationships. These methods include incorporating methods of communication as well as utilizing psychological consultants to improve relationships. However, these methods are not always effective in improving relationships and researchers began to look into a different approach.
This approach is the use of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) which administers low-intensity sinusoidal electrical currents to the brain to improve brain oscillations and functions. The idea for using this technique for relationships is to synchronize the brain waves between romantic dyads. This would allow for behavioral synchronization of these couples in hopes to improve their connection and overall relationship. However, these are just hypotheses of what this technology could do for relationships and more research needs to be conducted before this hits human trials.
In theory, one day there might be a way for people to take physical action toward relationship happiness. Due to the positive benefits in physical and mental health that are associated with healthy relationships, I think it is important to further research the potential applications of tACS on romantic relationships.
Liu, S., Ma, R., Liu, X., Zhang, C., Chen, Y., Jin, C., Wang, H., Cui, J., & Zhang, X. (2019). Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) to Improve Romantic Relationships Can Be a Promising Approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00365
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