Book-Nerd Couples: Scientific Research Reveals 'Couples Reading Books Together' Can Be a Mind-Bending Experience of Spiritual Inter-Connectedness for Two.

The benefits of reading go way beyond boosting your brain and reducing stress, according to scientists. It turns out that couples who read together are doing something really special for their relationship. Reading actually has the power to bring partners closer together, psychologists say, turning a solitary act into something beautiful for two.

After all, it can't be a coincidence that some of the most romantic scenes we've seen in films have involved couples reading together. The book-nerd couples out there have the right idea.

Reading together gets you talking about stuff that's actually interesting. Reading jolts the brain — and the conversation. Research shows that people can grow closer by revealing and sharing new thoughts, ideas and feelings with each other, and reading a book and then discussing it is a fun and entertaining way for couples to grow closer.

That doesn't necessarily mean reading to each other aloud, or even reading the same book (although experts point out that reading the same book is a far more beneficial experience).

Reading allows us to see what's under the surface of someone and realize that our partner might be more than the person we see every day. In a society where we have become jaded, as we come to believe everyone is the same, as we all stare at our phone screens, books offer the promise of something different, another world opening up to us. Reading is one of the last activities that doesn't involve a screen and reading a book together with someone you love. Well, don't just take my word for it. Try it.