Reignite romance in your life and in your home

Music may be the secret to romance in 2013. While women’s magazines keep touting unlimited ways to swing from chandeliers to spice up love and “50 Shades of Grey” became hot mommy porn, it is time to rethink romance. Here is promising news from a survey conducted by a music psychologist in London. It seems that 2,000 people in the United Kingdom have identified three songs that apparently entice and arouse.
 
In attempting to determine the relationship between music, romance, and sex, Spotify, the Swedish digital music service that commissioned the study, learned that the three top songs for passion were “Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing,” “Sexual Healing,” and “Bolero.”
 
Here was the biggest surprise. Approximately one in three said that “Bohemian Rhapsody” might be “better than sex.” While the musical classics for romance still go to composers Chopin, Debussy, Puccini and Tchaikovsky, the study found that men will adjust their musical tastes if it means more loving.
 
Romance has been on the wane these days as bedrooms become invaded by cell phones, iPads, laptops, and the ever growing size of television screens.
 
Here is an all too common scenario. Two people work. They get home. Answer personal e-mail. Receive one more call from the office, perhaps in the middle of dinner. Then both fall into bed exhausted. Even if the couple had planned a loving night, the first touch goes to the channel surfer.
 
To reignite passion, here are some thoughts about the power of words, the effect of feng shui, and musical seduction.
 
The most effective way to keep passion alive is to start by thinking and acting graciously. Speak words of love and speak lovingly. Give praise often. Ask yourself and answer the question: “What will my day look like if I start it and end it by thinking loving thoughts about my partner?”
 
Turn your bedroom into a place of calm passion using the feng shui principle of no clutter. Banish all non-essentials, ranging from untidy bookshelves to laundry baskets. Also remove all computers or televisions. But be certain to add unscented candles.
 
Select music that you both enjoy, particularly mood music with no words to distract. Look for classical piano, strings, or a full orchestra. Begin the music even before you cross the threshold.
 
The combination of words, feng shui, music and candles are certain to induce loving intimacy and sweet dreams. And this is the bonus — love making excites oxytocin, the love hormone. Loving generates the desire for more loving.
 
As for all those men who tell you that they cannot live without a bedroom television, simply remind them that you are the entertainment.
 
   ‍Rita ‍Watson, an incurable romantic, is a relationship columnist and regular Journal contributor. Her Web address is ritawatson.com .