Top Dates with our Mates
I’ll admit it. My husband and I don’t even have to be in other rooms. We shout “What?” and “Huh?” at each other across the kitchen table. As in, “We need more of that probiotic stuff.” “What?” Or, “You could really use a haircut.” “Huh?”
No, this is not a hearing problem, this is in fact a scientifically proven auditory issue afflicting long-married couples, otherwise known as selective cortical representation, or selective hearing. The struggle is real.
A 2013 study from Queen’s University in Canada suggests that middle-aged couples are able to tune out each other’s voices selectively so that they can pay more attention to other people. In our case, the other people would be the dogs.
Husbands and wives become so familiar with one another’s pitch and sound that they become more simple to separate from background noise. While this makes it easier to focus on each other’s voices, for example when having a conversation on a noisy train, it also makes it easier to “tune out.”
In other words, our mate’s once heart-fluttering tones have now become the marital equivalent of that air-conditioner hum you've gotten used to.
Considering that 55% of “gray divorces” are among couples who have been married more than 20 years, we felt it was time to take drastic action.
So we’re giving May’s nationally designated Date your Mate Month a whirl. And we’ll be documenting it right here starting with Date #1:
The Rooftop Cinema Club - LA, NY, San Diego, Miami, London
This was a great way to celebrate warm summer nights with a Rooftop Love Seat, a cozy blanket, cocktails, a gorgeous sunset and a classic movie.
Granted you wear headphones throughout the movie, but we're used to that! Besides, once we took them off we happily re-enacted our favorite movies lines with each other all the way home in the car. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Follow our blog all through May as we continue to Date our Mates. Coming soon: Date #2 - Topless Road Trip!
Had some great dates with your mate? Recommend them in the comments section below. Keep scrolling!
