By Stephanie Castillo for
Prevention.com

There’s no quick fix for a relationship that’s tanking, but some simple—and unconventional—strategies may just keep your love life afloat, according to a new study from the University of California-San Francisco. Turns out that the ancient Buddhist technique of meditation can offer a real boost to your modern-day relationship.

Researchers recruited 82 female teachers—all married or living with a partner—to undergo a program that taught them all about meditation and how to do it. After eight weeks of training, the teachers reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and stressed, while also feeling more compassionate and empathetic.

Promising stuff, but researchers wanted to see if those personal benefits would also spill over to relationships. So they had the teachers and their partners undergo a marital interaction test. Couples had to discuss a sore spot in their relationship for 15 minutes, while researchers recorded their facial expressions. “People who show negative expressions [on this test], like contempt and hostility, are more likely to get divorced than those who don’t,” says lead study author Margaret Kemeny, PhD.

How’d they do? Keep reading to find out… 

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