I came across a filler item on the Yahoo main page a couple of days ago, the banner headline for which proclaimed, that couples who met on bridges were more likely to stay together. Needless to say my first reaction was a loud snort, after all take a good look round your friends plus nearest and dearest, how many of them met on a bridge? I think sitting next to someone on an aeroplane who later became her husband, is the closest my inner circle gets to a bridging moment.
I went into the article as I was curious how many people they had actually asked to get even one who had met a partner on a bridge – I can imagine that if you did a random sample on the street you’d get a pretty dim response, especially once you had weeded out the over 60’s who might be thinking of bridge in a completely different context as in, “Oh yes, I met my fourth husband at the Bridge Club”. It turned out the base study showed that people rated others as more attractive when they met on a bridge over rushing water – the article doesn’t actually state what other scenarios they tested this against and my nasty mind immediately flicked to some of the other possible geographic meeting places against which the tryst on a bridge would definitely win e.g., in a lift that has stopped between floors, down a coal mine, at the municipal rubbish dump, … I am sure you can continue the list.
The article entitled ‘7 dates that’ll create instant chemistry’ by Matt Schneiderman is actually about ways to nail your man (or woman) and to convert them from acquaintance to partner – and though somewhat wacky I can see the sense of some suggestions. Going on a hunt or mission together with a common purpose gets a tick though I would have to have been a bit careful on this one as Husband has an internal alarm that goes off if he is required to do more than 5 minutes in a woman’s clothes shop, so the hunt for the perfect black dress would be a non-starter.
Likewise the suggestion you do things in a crowd where you are thrown together as two people such as going to a group dining experience. Presumably the upside of this is that if things aren’t working out on your date at the communal table at the local Teppanyaki restaurant you can always listen to the conversations of others – again I recall a classic bonding moment during our first night in Sydney as young marrieds when the inebriated couple next to us in the pub started having a loud argument about what I presume was his upcoming vasectomy – the immortal lead in line from his female partner was, “Well if you want to have your goolies cut off, go ahead and do it.” Our eyes met wide-eyed in astonishment, this indeed was Australian life in the red and raw, Crocodile Dundee fashion, and we waited breathlessly for the woman to produce a suitable instrument to perform the operation.
The bridge comment came from the section where doing things that made you dizzy was seen as an inducement to stick together – presumably the fact that you are physically locked together in terror on the mountainside has something to do with it. I remain dubious on this one as early in our relationship Husband bought himself a two man Laser sailing dinghy and I was required to clamber into my pink and purple spotted wetsuit, in which I resembled the Creature from the Deep, and hang off the boat, whilst attached by a wire and harness to the mast. The entire experience undoubtedly had the desired effect of making me dizzy but I am not sure I could truthfully say that it created any emotion other than sheer terror – overwhelming passion was definitely not top of my list as I waded ashore.
I have however filed all the information at the back of my mind and should romance begin to flag, I will be emailing Husband with the suggestion that we go on a mass Treasure Hunt ending with a communal meal before climbing the Harbour Bridge.
No comments:
Post a Comment