6 Ways To Have More Fun In Your Relationship

Ruts happen. Sometimes you find yourself in a boring, but very adult pattern of working, doing chores, and then working some more. Sometimes life is just about getting through it. But sometimes life is also about fun. In fact, USA Today reported that having fun in your relationship isn't just... well, fun. It's actually essential. A study from researchers at the University of Denver found that couples who didn't make time for fun weren't as happy and didn't stay together as long. That's likely because having fun together is related to related to being friends and being friends leads to a happier union.

If you're in one of those ruts, adding fun to your relationship doesn't have to be some big overwhelming deal. You don't have to reschedule your life or spend a lot of money. Simple tasks like leaving little notes and making time to laugh can bring more joy to your days. If you want to make a drastic change, there's always fun stuff like vacations and adventures, but most of the work will be done in your daily interactions and with some easy tweaks to your free time. Here are six easy ways to have more fun in your long-term relationship.

1. Play

This seems super obvious and also super vague, but play is a vital part of a happy life. Even animals stop to play, according to Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. of Psych Central, who equates fun to oxygen. Try taking queues from children to get more playful in your relationship. Be uninhibited. Laugh. Joke. Tease each other (in good fun) and talk about happy, exciting things.

2. Try Something New

Even if you already have time blocked out in your schedule for fun activities, those activities might be getting stale. Or maybe one partner enjoys them more than the other. Talk about what each of you finds fun and try new things, recommends Judy Kuriansky, PhD in an article for relationship site Bottom Line Personal. Mix it up if you can't agree or have very dissimilar interests.

3. Make Bets

"I bet dinner dishes that you can't throw that from here to the trash can." Making bets and wagers with each other is a way to add more fun and excitement to your relationship, according to WebMD. Mix it up with small, spur of the moment bets, like trick trash can baskets and long-term bets, like fantasy sports or work achievements.

4. Embrace Your Inner Comedian

Daily life is full of so many opportunities to inject humor into your relationship. BuzzLife recommends injecting a little humor into your day by leaving funny notes, making silly gifts and occasionally appreciating things in a childish way.

5. Pretend Your Partner Is Fun

According to Darby Saxby in an article for Psychology Today, people who have certain illusions about their partners tend to be happier. If you want to have more fun in your relationship, tell yourself that your partner is really fun and funny. It's worth a try, right?

6. Scare Yourselves

According to WebMD, your body experiences similar reactions when you're scared as when you're sexually aroused. Heading to a haunted house or scary movie could be fun and help you feel closer. If scary movies don't do it for you, WebMD recommends doing something like skydiving.

Giving each other full-on permission to be silly, to play, to dream and to poke fun at each other will lighten the mood in your relationship. Communicating about what you enjoy is the key.

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