Intimacy is a deep, meaningful sense of closeness and connection with someone else. Emotional intimacy refers to a psychological portion of this bond, where you feel safe and secure with your partner in a way that allows you to express vulnerability without fear.
Emotional intimacy is essential in stable relationships. It lays the foundation for other forms of intimacy, such as physical, intellectual, and spiritual intimacy.
For example, high levels of emotional intimacy have been shown in research to help maintain sexual interest and activity between partners over long-term relationships.
Forrest Talley, a clinical psychologist from Folsom, California, explains that the intimacy level in a relationship often correlates with the level of happiness. “But perhaps more than this,” he adds, “there is an innate human craving to be known, and in the process of being known to be valued (some would even say to be ‘cherished’). It is a uniquely satisfying experience that many people seldom enjoy.”