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A new study done by researchers for AARP magazine found that after retirement, couples are happier with their relationships than they were when they were working. Eighty-four percent spend more time doing things together, and 76 percent are less stressed. About a third of couples say they argue less and 12 percent say they've gotten even more romantic since retiring.

So why does your life (and love life) improve after you stop working? Retired couples have more time to spend time together, share more of the household chores, and spend more hours sleeping. Sounds nice, huh? Chances are an early retirement isn't in your future, but you can still learn from Gram and Gramps. These four tips will bring out the best in your relationship long before you retire.

Try Something New
One reason older couples feel closer is because they have more time to travel together. But you don't have to book a two-week cruise to get some of the same benefits of exploring the world a deux.


10 Outrageous Theme Weddings

    Football Wedding This couple was married at the Cincinnati Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium. No word on whether the bride wore a sports bra.

    Hello Kitty Wedding Never moved past your Hello Kitty pencil case? You can pay to have two giant creatures escort you down the aisle, like this couple.

    jennfc.com

    Star Wars Wedding We hope Yoda presided over this wedding ("Take the bride, do you?"). The London Telegraph reports on one such union where a Princess Leia was the ring bearer, clad in the infamous gold bikini.

    klobtime, Flickr

    Biker Wedding Why leave your Harley at home for the big day when you can ride down the aisle in style? This couple takes leather to the altar and shows their guests exactly how to ride off in to the sunset, without chafing.

    Mad Man Dan / FaithRiders

    WWII Wedding Time to party like it's 1942? All 100 guests at this wedding got into theme, donning fur wraps, berets and caps adorned with feathers. For authenticity they piped in the sound of sirens and Lancaster bombers flying overhead.

    Hartlepool Mail

    Zombie Wedding If the undead get married, then it really is a union that will last forever. To make it authentic you could even get carried in a coffin to the altar. Consider eating beforehand if you don't like brains.

    wedlog.com

    Disney Princess Wedding For your Cinderella day, you can buy a gown from the official Disney fashion line, or have your wedding at the actual theme park for 10 grand and up. Next up: "Lion King" groomsmen!?

    bridezilla.com

    Gangster Wedding Bonnie and Clyde made being a gangster romantic and now you can too with some vintage duds and smart pinstripes.

    thebreadline, Flickr

    Renaissance Wedding Grab your lute and mount your trusty steed! If you're donning a garter, run swiftly. One rather aggressive medieval tradition called for guests to grab a piece of the garment by any means necessary.

    youandyourwedding.com

    Lord of the Rings Wedding "One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." Take your "precious" to the altar and recite lines straight from Tolkien's classic as the vows. These LOTR superfans earn bonus points for their Minas Tirith cake.

    Sarah and Patrick Needham



Make a date to try the latest eatery in town or a foreign food you've never had before. "New experiences are a great way to bond," says Krista Bloom, a relationship therapist in Florida. "Even something as simple as eating somewhere new is exciting, and sharing that emotion means a lot." That sense of novelty and the shared experience will bond you.

Click here to read 3 more tips on how to achieve old-person-like closeness.



Plan a "Veg Out" Date
Days off usually mean getting everything done you didn't have time for during the week, from catching up with friends to doing laundry. But all that running around can put stress on your relationship and make you want to wring one another's necks. The cure? Make time to relax, and make sure you're doing it together.

Scheduling even just an hour to sit on the couch and watch a few shows is the perfect way to get in down time. Watching a funny movie or show will let you recharge, and you'll associate the positive feeling with being around your guy, says Bloom.

Share the Housework
Tackle some tasks together. Not only will this get the work done faster, you'll feel a shared sense of accomplishment. And the benefits don't stop with the clean garage -- you'll also have a new appreciation for what goes into the chores your mate usually handles. Being more conscious and appreciative of one another will improve your love on every front.

Sleep During the Day
The best part of being an old person is that you get to nap all day, right? Why wait?! On a Sunday afternoon, clear you schedule and climb back in bed for a snooze. We live in such a go, go, go culture that occasionally locking yourselves in the bedroom for some R&R feels luxurious and will bring you closer. Couples that can shut out the world for a bit and just focus on basic needs, such as sleep, are often more in tune with one another. "Plus, the physical closeness of snuggling can instantly make those loving feelings surge," says Bloom.

Also on Lemondrop: Relationship tips aren't the only things we can learn from our elders. Check out these Old Hollywood Beauty Tricks.

Old Hollywood Beauty Secrets

    Marilyn Monroe The name isn't all that separated Norma Jean Baker from Marilyn Monroe. In addition to going from brown to blonde, the bombshell is said to have had her chin and nose surgically altered. Another beauty secret: ice baths splashed with Chanel No. 5.

    AP

    Vivien Leigh In "Vivien Leigh: A Biography," author Anne Edwards claims that Leigh used her favorite perfume, Joy, as a room spray, deodorant, and -- great balls of fire! -- breath freshener. Frankly my dear, that's just plain weird.

    ZUMA Press

    Mae West The queen of double entendres relied on eight-inch platform heels to maximize her stage presence, and spent two hours a day massaging cold cream into her breasts to keep them nice and perky. She's also rumored to have undergone a daily enema.

    John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

    Joan Crawford Mommie Dearest once claimed her favorite beauty secret was "soap and water," but she was reportedly no stranger to the plastic surgeon's scalpel either. And if her film portrayal is to be believed, Crawford slept with surgical tape on her face and woke up with a round of bobbing for ice cubes.

    John Engstead / John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

    Bette Davis Her eyes may be the stuff of '80s one-hit wonders, but Bette Davis' undersized mouth needed a little help. To compensate, Davis would color outside of her lip lines with lipstick (just like Grandma!). She also relied on face-lifting tapes and cosmetic surgery later in life.

    AP

    Rita Hayworth With luscious auburn locks and killer dance moves, she made being a glamazon look easy. In truth, her natural dark brown tresses were dyed red at the command of Fox Studios, and she was made to undergo countless electrolysis treatments to raise her hairline -- call it the reverse Brendan Fraser.

    A. L. Whitey Schafer / John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

    Greta Garbo The notoriously private Swede remains one of Hollywood's greatest beauties, but even she had her Ugly Betty moments. MGM head Louis B. Mayer ordered the starlet to lose weight, get her hairline straightened and have her teeth fixed before putting her in films.

    Ruth Harriet Louise / John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

    Norma Shearer This Oscar-winner spent a fortune trying to correct a weak eye that made her appear cross-eyed, which she sometimes blamed on bad lighting. She was fixated with her looks, maintaining a rigorous exercise and diet regimen and, in later years, powdering her face until it was ghostly white.

    George Hurrell / John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

    Marlene Dietrich Rumor has it that this sleepy-eyed fraulein hid her frown lines by wearing a gold chain that hooked to her hairpins; one yank of the chain created an instant face lift of sorts. She reportedly also wore wigs (sprinkled with real gold dust, no less) to hide her thinning hair and often used face-lift tapes.

    London Express / Getty Images