A Sex Coach Ranks The Intimacy Week Tasks On ‘MAFS’
Every season on Married at First Sight, the experts dedicate an entire week to pashin’ and rootin’ under the guise of Intimacy Week.
Okay, it’s not all about getting it on. The week is to encourage the grooms and brides to learn about each other’s love languages and sexual preferences, along with increasing physical intimacy and comfortability discussing sex openly.
Luckily for us, it also makes damn good TV with some truly bonkers tasks that include eye-gazing, making out for five-minutes, and excruciatingly long hugging, as led by living icon, Alessandra Rampolla.
But do these tasks actually work? Or are we being pranked by the experts on this show for shitz and gigz?
We recruited the expertise of Lovehoney Sex Coach, Cam Fraser, to find out if these sorts of tasks are something he would recommend people in relationships try to replicate.
A sex coach ranks the Intimacy Week tasks on Married at First Sight:
5. The Melted Hug
The extended hug is primarily designed for couples that may be moving at a slower pace or those who have experienced turbulent times together, which allows them to engage in physical touch and hold each other for three minutes. As we saw with Claire and Jesse, their “walls” and awkwardness slowly diminished as their embrace went on.
As you may already know, hugging releases the happy hormone in our bodies, oxytocin, and is also a nurturing act that can help create an intimate bond in a relationship. By hugging your partner, not only are you literally becoming closer to each other, but it can open up an emotional connection as much as a physical one.
4. Eye-Gazing
Now, this is a classic intimacy-building activity that many may find uncomfortable or confronting at first, as it involves being vulnerable and fully present but it can hold great benefits for couples at all stages of their relationship.
The great thing about eye-gazing is it’s a super simple way to demonstrate your commitment to your partner and acknowledge them. You’re taking the time to foster a deep connection with your other half and really “see them.”
3. Five-Minute Makeout
An extended makeout session where couples are tasked with kissing for a set amount of time, such as the 5-minutes on the show, is ideal for those who are wanting to take that next step in their physical relationship. As per, Alyssa and Duncan, this task can open up physicality between couples and grow the existing desire and attraction that’s present to take the relationship to that next level.
Additionally, this task is a fantastic activity for couples who feel they’ve lost their spark, as it provides an opportunity for you both to focus on your physical connection. The time doesn’t have to be spent full-on snogging and can instead include other intimate actions like caressing each other’s faces, gentle kisses and then building up to a passionate kiss, which should by this time, feel natural.
2. Intimacy Box
For couples that are physically intimate and are wanting to further explore new experiences together or have found they’ve fallen into the same sexual routine and are wanting to spice things up, introducing sex toys is something to put on the top of your to-do list!
On MAFS, we saw Tahnee and Ollie — a couple who have been physical since the beginning of their relationship — embrace the addition of toys to the bedroom, with Tahnee calling out the wand as her favourite. Wands are a great introductory toy for partner play, as they can be used to stimulate a range of erogenous zones all over the body.
Similarly, massagers like the Lovehoney Joy Roller Rechargeable Double-Ended Vibrating Massager are fantastic starter toys for couples, as the discrete design that looks like an inconspicuous neck massager isn’t intimidating and can be used to elevate foreplay. Relationships are built on creating shared experiences together and discovering new things in the bedroom together is a tremendous way to do this.
1. Personalised Date Night
Planning out a dedicated date specific to your partner’s interests or tying back to something personal in your relationship is a great way to build a stronger physical and emotional connection, regardless of what stage of your relationship you are in. If you are in the early stages of dating and want to form a deeper relationship, showing that you are making an effort to create a shared experience beyond heading for drinks or Netflix and chill, will show you are making an active effort and in turn, build on your connection.
On the other hand, couples in long-term relationships may find that over time things like date nights have fallen off the agenda. In these instances, planning a date for your partner is an important way to showcase that you are prioritising your relationship and can help to reignite that passion.
Final thoughts from Lovehoney’s Cam Fraser
Credit where credit is due, this season’s Intimacy Week tasks are all classic intimacy-building techniques but before scheduling them all into your calendar with your partner, consider where you are at in your relationship and what you’re wanting to achieve.
This will ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success and picking activities that reflect your existing connection with your significant other.
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So there you have it! It turns out that the MAFS experts aren’t some loose units giving out silly little tasks to make a silly little TV show — the contestant’s homework is backed by the industry. Colour me shocked.