EPISODE · May 20, 2026 · 14 MIN
The Science of Staying in Love: Novel and Creative Events
from Enneagram and Marriage · host Christa Hardin, MA
As we learn more about what relationship science says, we learn that not only was your brain designed for continued new learning, but fascinatingly, your marriage was designed to benefit from it, too. Researcher Arthur Aron has spent decades studying what keeps couples not just together but genuinely in love, and what he found might surprise you: novel shared experiences do not just make a marriage more fun, they actually restore the feeling of falling in love all over again, sometimes surpassing even the honeymoon stage. In this episode, Christa brings the research to life, weaving together Aron's self-expansion theory, the neuroscience of dopamine and creativity, and what nervous system regulation has to do with whether you and your spouse can actually play together anymore. This episode is practical, research-backed, and full of the kind of insight that makes you want to go try something new with your person as soon as possible! Watch on YouTube! Want even more? Listen to an even deeper dive on Apple here with the subscriber series! Find more about your type, the pod, freebies, and SO much more at our website right here! www.EnneagramandMarriage.com Love what you're learning on E + M? Make sure you leave us a podcast review so others can find us, too here! Get Christa's Best-Selling Book, The Enneagram in Marriage, here! https://a.co/d/df8SxVx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What this episode covers
As we learn more about what relationship science says, we learn that not only was your brain designed for continued new learning, but fascinatingly, your marriage was designed to benefit from it, too. Researcher Arthur Aron has spent decades studying what keeps couples not just together but genuinely in love, and what he found might surprise you: novel shared experiences do not just make a marriage more fun, they actually restore the feeling of falling in love all over again, sometimes surpassing even the honeymoon stage. In this episode, Christa brings the research to life, weaving together Aron's self-expansion theory, the neuroscience of dopamine and creativity, and what nervous system regulation has to do with whether you and your spouse can actually play together anymore. This episode is practical, research-backed, and full of the kind of insight that makes you want to go try something new with your person as soon as possible! Watch on YouTube! Want even more? Listen to an even deeper dive on Apple here with the subscriber series! Find more about your type, the pod, freebies, and SO much more at our website right here! www.EnneagramandMarriage.com Love what you're learning on E + M? Make sure you leave us a podcast review so others can find us, too here! Get Christa's Best-Selling Book, The Enneagram in Marriage, here! https://a.co/d/df8SxVx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Science of Staying in Love: Novel and Creative Events
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