People often ask me the secrets to a happy marriage. I saw this study online and thought it was pretty accurate.
Here's the movie version of what happy couples do: They always laugh at each other's jokes, cook dinner together, fly off to romantic getaways, and have lots of great sex (they never do laundry). Real-life happy couples do 10 things to keep their love strong:
1. Let Love Grow. Couples who start out thinking the fiery intensity of new romance will last forever lose 50% of their passion for each other after just 18 months. The couples who grow happier over time are the ones who understand that love evolves, becoming calmer, deeper, richer, and more powerful.
2. Play Nice. The happiest couples do something other couples often don't: they're kind to each other. Happy couples treat each other like best friends.
3. Do This in Bed: Surprise! Fooling around is not tops on the list of the most important things happy couples do in bed. What is? Talking. Spending a few minutes chatting every night before sleep lets you catch up, make plans, and discuss problems in a quiet, tender setting.
4. Double Date: Having open, intimate conversations with other twosomes reinforces your own sense of togetherness. Being close to them makes you feel closer to each other.
5. Face Your Differences: Happy couples bring their differences out into the open rather than denying or dismissing them. Put issues on the table, and look for ways you can work around them.
6. Skip Some of the Small Talk: Couples who have deep conversations are far likelier to be happy than couples who always keep it light.
7. Be Equally Committed: Happiness doesn't necessarily depend on how intense your level of commitment is, but on how mutual it is.
8. Soften Up: But the happiest couples keep conflicts from becoming confrontations. Neither feels as if one of them always gets his or her way. Each occasionally yields to the other.
9. Accentuate the Positive: Happy couples make at least five times as many positive statements to and about each other as negative ones, even when they are arguing.
10. Hang in There: Slogging through bad times can make both of you happier than ever. If you can do that and get to the other side, it makes the relationship stronger. It strengthens love.
They always laugh at each other's jokes, cook together, fly off to romantic getaways, walk hand in hand... that's still my parents after 41 years of marriage. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day! xo
Wow! I needed to see this today. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Hi Darylynn Those are some good points you put down and I also believe couples can't make one another love them,they have to let them.That was a turtle Angel caught while she was froggin with Jody and as you could see by the picture,she's all girl and was making the eeewww face while holding the turtle and the frog.Have a happy Tuesday! Kaye
ReplyDeleteHi Darylynn,
ReplyDeleteSo true all those points and you and Jeff prove the point of being a happy couple :) You two are the only ones I know that have been married only once and for so many years. Very rare nowadays. Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday.
Hugs, Dru
Great list. Its nice to see the really old couples walking together.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Like Dru said, so true for you and Jeff. It took me 37 years to realize I was the only one following those 10 rules.. LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI do know of two other couples that are like you. My sister Louise and my brother Joe in San Jose.
Have a lovely evening my friend. Hugs
Hi Darylynn, that was a good list. After coming back from Hawaii, I would add, "hang loose". For example, I wanted to climb Diamond Head. My husband did not, so instead of making him go with me, I went with a group tour. :) I posted our Hawaii pictures, part 1-Oahu. I am still working on Maui. I enjoyed catching up. Hugs
ReplyDeleteHi Darylynn, to answer your question. You are looking west over the cove. It is an island by my house. behind us is the open bay and the barrier islands. In the photo we are facing the west where there is a cove that boats anchor in for the evening, etc. It faces the direction of my house.
ReplyDelete