How 'Date Night' Is Actually Doing Wonders For Your Love Life

I often scoff at the people in my Facebook feed who post photos of their "date night" with either their boyfriend or husband. I don’t just scoff, but roll my eyes, make some snarky comment under my breath that they’ll never hear, and find myself grateful that the term "date night," isn’t part of my vocabulary. I'm a Grinch like that. But I'm also a Grinch who, for all the date nights I'm skipping with my husband, just might be even better for them. Maybe.

A new study by Rent.com found that one of the big things that can keep the love alive in a relationship is by having a date night with their S.O. Of the 1000 married renters surveyed, 57 percent of couples have a regular standing date night that include such fun activities like dinner, dancing, movies, you know, what people do on dates — fun stuff! It was also these people and their date nights who knew how to keep things hot and spicy in their relationship by trying to new things together, at 15 percent (because you always wanted to learn how to Salsa), going away for the weekend, at 25 percent (who doesn't want to go to a lil' B&B?), and by being adventurous in the bedroom, at 31 percent (because, well, obviously.)

But why keep things to just the two of you when you have friends? Twenty-four percent of renters found that double dating was actually the ticket to a happy and loving relationship. If you're lucky enough to find a couple you both like, then double awesome!  Like a Double Mint gum commercial tells us: "Double your pleasure; double your fun."

However, if where you're living in a city that is without fun things for couples to do and places to go to, then maybe you should consider moving to Newton, Massachusetts. At the top of the list of the 15 best cities for couple, the Boston suburb comes in at number one for the best spot for couples, followed by Staten Island, NY, and Edison, NJ, coming in second and third, respectively. Last on the list, but certainly not least is Torrance, California. These places are definitely where it's at if you want your couple's fun to truly flourish, so yes, consider moving. You'll thank yourself later.

So, I guess the next time I see someone I know from high school posting about their "date night with hubby at Applebee's getting drunk on margaritas," I should cease my scoffing. Maybe I'll even save my eye roll, instead, for the endless barrage of selfies they post. Statistically, it looks like date night does wonders for relationships, so maybe I should get in on that and quit being a Grinch. Although, Christmas is only a couple months away, so at least I’m not totally off the mark.