Study Reveals The Hugging Position Most Likely To End Your Relationship

It may seem like an innocent position, but couples who like to spoon may want to reconsider the bedtime habit if they want their relationship to last.

A new study, based on more than 9,000 divorced people, has revealed that the way you sleep can affect the health of your marriage.

UK-based sleep site TheDozyOwl surveyed 4,987 divorced women and 4,786 divorced men to determine whether their preferred sleeping position influenced their marriage to end in divorce.

And according to the data, 86 percent of those surveyed admitted that the “female spoon” is the most common sleeping position before filing for divorce.

“While we were initially surprised to find that the ‘female spoon’ was the most ‘divorceable’ sleeping position, after reading some of the feedback from respondents, we started to get an idea why that’s the case,” he said Alex, Managing Director of TheDozyOwl. Ion told news.com.au.

“In most situations, the men in the relationship felt asphyxiated by their partners, who in the end weren’t getting enough attention.

“This imbalance would often lead to long-term discussions.”

Mary, 52, who took part in the survey, said she recently divorced her childhood sweetheart of 10 years.

“I think maybe I took too much care of him; I think this position is a testament to that statement. I think he felt too emasculated,” he explained.

Far behind in second place as the most divorceable position is the “leg hug” with 82 percent.

It was followed by “back to back untouched” by 78 percent, “space pigs” by 73 percent and then “the soldiers” by 71 percent.

“The ‘back to back untouched’ position was by far the most frustrating for women and from a psychological point of view it makes sense,” Ion said.

“Through hugs, women are reassured that everything is going well in the relationship, while men are not necessarily connected in that way in some cases.”

She explained that the lack of physical contact was revealed as a big problem for many women who took the survey.

According to sleep specialist Dr. Paula Barry of Penn Medicine, a world-renowned academic medical center in Philadelphia, oxytocin, better known as the “wellness hormone,” is released when we feel physically affectionate or receive affection.

Barry said this feeling creates a “connection, bond and trust,” which explains why “face-to-face cuddling” is the least divorcible sleeping position at 19 percent.

The other acts that are unlikely to end in divorce are “not touching face to face” at 38% and “touching back to back” at 26%.

“My partner and I separated a few years ago; we were together ten. But I’ve never been a loving person, it probably explains a lot of things,” said 52-year-old respondent Matt.

“But this position for me is just the right amount of distance and contact,” he said of the act of ‘touching back to back.’