The comfort of a long-term partnership is something many long for. One couple is showing how this comfort can turn candid.
A video posted by Caleb Del Buono and Andrea Mannella (@calebnandrea) has captured millions for its brutally honest portrayal of the kinds of sharing done in long-term relationships—in this case, about bowel functions.
Since it was posted on February 28, it has received 3.9 million likes and nearly 7,000 comments.
In the video, filmed from inside a car, Caleb excitedly anticipates his girlfriend's arrival as she walks toward him. "Oh my god, here she comes," he said. "She looks so cute with the short hair...we're going to have a great day." When Andrea gets into the car, though, she shares a revelation that leaves Caleb in fits of laughter.
"I literally just s*** my brains out," she told him.
Caleb, 22, and Andrea, 27, told Newsweek about their motivation for sharing content about their long-term relationship.
"This moment is one of many funny interactions we have daily, and figured it was something other couples could relate to as well," they said. "While we make the videos, not only do we laugh, but we also share it and make other couples laugh as well!"
"There's a lot going on in the world nowadays," they said. "So, if we can make someone smile and take stress off people's lives, that's something we'd love to do for as long as we can."
Having been together for over two years, Caleb and Andrea said they share a deep bond not only as partners but also as "best friends," which encourages this level of comfort.
"Ever since we first met, we've always had this connection where we felt super comfortable around one another," they said. "It's gotten to the point where we can say anything without shame or judgment."
Closeness in relationships helps maintain desire
Despite the belief that long-term partners' closeness and associated comforts can dampen desire, research has shown that closeness between partners can actually keep desire running high.
"One perspective, mostly from clinical observations and interviews with couples, is that too much closeness in a relationship stifles desire," the authors of the study, published this year in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, wrote. "We propose that higher closeness is associated with higher desire."
The authors said that the secret ingredient to maintaining a sense of closeness and desire is, ironically, keeping a sense of "otherness" alive, too. This indicates a "distinctiveness between partners that allows for new insights and acknowledgment of unique contributions."
Caleb and Andrea's closeness is something they definitely see value in, and they said they have even deeper to go with one another.
"As we continue to navigate life together as a pair, we have the blessing of being able to learn more and more about each other," they said. "Making us love one another that much more."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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