The Key to a Fulfilling Relationship

Written on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 and is filed under Marital Happiness.

Trust is the key to a longlasting relationship, but it may take practice to feel comfortable sharing your soul with a partner.

Nagging: The Vicious Cycle of Fighting Over Fighting

Written on Monday, January 30th, 2012 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage Counseling, Marriage News.

Countless couples enter into marriage blissfully, fully respecting each other’s personalities and desires. However, before they know it, they’ve begun to engage in a pattern of communication that is negative and destructive and quickly can snowball out of control: nagging. Why do partners nag one another? According to Scott Wetzler, psychologist and vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, nagging occurs when one person feels that his or her needs are not being met. In a recent article, Wetzler explains that nagging is a lose-lose situation. The person being nagged …(See More)

Are Open Marriages Licenses to Cheat?

Written on Friday, January 27th, 2012 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

The term “open marriage” has been a hot topic in the past week. When asked about his interest in pursuing an open marriage with a former wife, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich denied the allegations vehemently. But it raised some eyebrows. In general, most people are unfamiliar with what an open marriage actually is. Open marriages are quite prevalent in some cultures but are usually one sided, allowing the husband the freedom to explore his extramarital desires but requiring the wife to remain faithful to him alone. In a recent article, several experts discussed what open marriage means in American culture. …(See More)

Love: The Key to Longevity

Written on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

Ask anyone who has been married for any period of time if they are happier than they were before and you will undoubtedly get a variety of answers. But research suggests that married people tend to live approximately 5 years longer than single people. So the evidence begs the question: Is love the key to longevity? In a recent article, reasons to support the love-longevity connection were discussed. Specifically, love in relation to affect was addressed as a primary reason for the love-longevity dynamic. When we think of the people that we love, we automatically feel happy. The same thing …(See More)

7 Tips for Getting Closer to Your Spouse in 2012

Written on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

Terri Orbuch, author and relationship expert, believes that the New Year is a great time to set goals as a couple. In a recent article, Orbuch details seven simple steps that couples can take to ensure that the fireworks in their relationship don’t fizzle out by February. First, Orbuch suggests setting aside at least 10 minutes a day for couples to spend “talking to your partner about anything under the sun, except kids, work, household responsibilities, or your relationship.” The idea is to have fun and learn new things about each other. Secondly, Orbuch suggests thanking your spouse each day. …(See More)

Love is Multi-Faceted

Written on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

Love means something different to each of us. When we fall in love with someone, we experience feelings and ideals that we may never have felt or fathomed until that time. “Before having fallen in love, we would be hard-pressed to predict with whom we would fall in love, and even after an encounter, we often hesitate about the nature of our feelings,” says Lubomir Lamy, assistant professor of social psychology at South-Paris University in France, and author of a recent article on the many facets of love. “To say the most love is unselfish, and keeps nothing for itself. …(See More)

Share the Holiday Spirit with Your Spouse, All Year Long

Written on Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

The holiday season is a time for sharing joy and telling those we love how much we care. But for many people, the holidays can be a stressful and lonely time. Spouses are often overtaxed, overspent and overtired in preparation for the impending holidays. With strained work schedules, shopping and the pressure to have everything just right by December 25, many husbands and wives forget to take the time to tell each other how much they value one another. And unfortunately, during this stressful time of year, the majority of spouses need to hear how much they are appreciated more …(See More)

How to Provide Emotional Support to Your Spouse

Written on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

Being in a romantic relationship can be one of the most fulfilling experiences in life. However, without the proper emotional support, partners can feel neglected, isolated and alone. In a recent article, Dr. Barton Goldsmith, psychotherapist and author, discusses why emotional support is crucial to a successful relationship. “Having the desire and ability to be giving to your partner is far more important than doing it exactly right,” says Barton. He recommends several ways to offer this type of encouragement. “Touch each other often,” says Barton. “Holding hands, walking arm in arm and cuddling on the couch are just some …(See More)

You’re Never Too Old to Change

Written on Monday, December 19th, 2011 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

How we act toward our romantic partners stems from behaviors developed in childhood. “Your interpersonal experiences with your mother during the first 12 to 18 months of life predict your behavior in romantic relationships 20 years later,” says Jeffry A. Simpson, psychologist from the University of Minnesota, and lead author of study highlighted in a recent article. “Before you can remember, before you have language to describe it, and in ways you aren’t aware of, implicit attitudes get encoded into the mind.” These attitudes stay with us, and carry into our adult interactions with colleagues, family members, and in particular, …(See More)

Unlearning How to be a Perfectionist to Achieve a Perfect Marriage

Written on Friday, December 16th, 2011 and is filed under Marital Happiness, Marriage News.

When two people fall in love, the behaviors that first drew them together often end up being the same behaviors that divide them. In a recent article, Carl Alasko, Ph.D. and author explains how certain behaviors that cause marital tension, like perfectionism, can be unlearned. “There’s an endlessly ongoing discussion in psychology about whether genetics determines one’s basic personality or whether one’s environment shapes it,” says Alasko. “The strong overall consensus, though, is that both are always active. Yes, genetics provides the structure of your personality; however, your family and social surroundings also influences the development of these traits.” Individuals have the …(See More)

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