HOW TO KEEP THE JOY IN ANY MARRIAGE
FOLLOW THESE STEPS BACKED BY SCIENCE FOR A HAPPILY EVER AFTER
DO SOMETHING EXCITING TOGETHER
Considering booking in a date night with your beloved? Forget a romantic dinner for two at your local favourite restaurant – instead, experience something new together.
In a report published in The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers did a 10-week study comparing couples that engaged in pleasant activities versus exciting ones and found that those couples who had undertaken the exciting date nights showed a significantly greater increase in marital satisfaction. When you both feel excited it brings the tingles back. Consider going to see a band play, riding a roller-coaster, or book into a dance class; something out of the ordinary for you both.
SHARE THE HOUSEWORK
It may seem like a no-brainer, but it helps when it’s backed by scientific proof ! According to a study by the UCLA Sloan Center on Everyday Lives and Families, researchers found couples who agree to share the housework are more likely to be happier in their relationships. Those who are far more likely to be satisfied have a clear definition of what chores they do around the house. So sit down, make a list with two columns, look at it as often as possible, and share the workload.
ARGUMENTS CAN BE GOOD
Who says arguing in a marriage is always bad? According to the scientists, married couples who complain to each other the most – and complain about the least important things – end up having more lasting relationships. According to research conducted by Dr Gottman, a psychological researcher and clinician who has done extensive work over four decades on divorce prediction and marital stability, if you’re not arguing at all three years into a relationship, you’re more likely to find yourself heading for divorce. Not fighting can be sign of withdrawal.
CHOOSE TO BE WITH FRIENDS WHO STAY MARRIED
According to research conducted at Brown University, breaking up is hard to do – unless everyone else is doing it too. The study found that you’re 75 per cent more likely to get divorced if a friend or close relative has been through a divorce. It could be that it offers a mirror to your own relationship problems.
‘We suggest that attending to the health of one’s friends’ marriages might serve to support and enhance the durability of one’s own relationship,’ the authors of the study say.
HAVE SEX AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
Want to know a way to instantly bring joy to a marriage? Spend more time in the sack – and we’re not talking about sleeping! Research entitled Money, Sex, and Happiness: An Empirical Study found that increasing your sexual activity from once a month to once a week can cause happiness levels to jump. ‘Sexual activity enters strongly positively in happiness equations,’ the study’s authors wrote.