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ABC News July 26, 2008 & Mercola.com
“The more you invest in fun and friendship and being there for your partner, the happier the relationship will get over time,” says Howard Markman, a psychologist who co-directs the university’s Center for Marital and Family Studies.
“The correlation between fun and marital happiness is high, and significant.”
Other studies, too, have found that having fun together — especially while doing “new and exciting activities” — is the secret to a happy marriage.
For married couples, finding moments to be together free of financial, family or other stresses is not an indulgence, according to new research from the University of Denver.
Four Tips to a Happy Marriage
1. Fight fair. “The way you interact during marital arguments is as important a heart risk factor as whether you smoke or have high cholesterol” says Timothy W. Smith, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. Verbal aggression, such as yelling at or insulting your partner, leads to decreased intimacy and “self-silencing” – keeping quiet during a fight — has been linked to depression, eating disorders and heart disease in women.
2. Keep positive feelings alive. Couples most likely to be married for the long-term are those who maintain their positive feelings for their spouse for at least the first two years. The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can help you to clear any emotional blocks that may be sabotaging your relationship.
3. Read the book Fighting for Your Marriage. It is a valuable source of information for positively handling disagreements between you and your spouse, which will increase the success of your relationship.
4. Support your partner’s goals and dreams. People feel happiest in relationships where they feel the other person helps them achieve their own personal goals.
Spiritual Growth