Habits shape how we work, how we manage stress, and how we relate to others. They determine whether we move closer to our goals, or repeat the same mistakes. The same is true in our romantic relationships. Our satisfaction, stability and sense of connection are directly related to the behaviors we default to every day. …
Building a healthy romantic relationship takes time and intention. Over time, meaningful experiences, personal disclosures and authentic conversations create closeness and intimacy. To genuinely know someone, you must understand what matters to them — their likes and dislikes, passions, limits — and respecting those traits even when they differ from your own. In fact, many…
This is the season when everyone’s planning for next year. When it comes to money, I can assure you that the secret isn’t in some fancy investing tactic, hot stock tip, or obscure cryptocurrency. If you and your partner set just one money resolution for 2026, make it this: You both stay actively involved in…
Engagement season is upon us, with December being the most popular month to propose worldwide, according to The Knot. And while traditionally men have been expected to shell out for that diamond — as Beyoncé put it in 2008, he should’ve “put a ring on it” — many women are changing their expectations around who…
Between long office days, late dinners and endless to-dos, many working couples slip into a routine of coexisting instead of really connecting. The excuses feel valid: “We’re exhausted,” or, “We’ll catch up this weekend.” The problem is that they both end up missing the everyday moments that keep a relationship alive. As a psychologist who studies couples and as a husband,…
Fizkes | Istock | Getty Images Divorce always raises thorny questions of how to divide marital property. In most cases, the remedy is pretty straightforward, requiring a surgical split between the two parties’ assets — although you can’t do that with the family dog or aquarium. But if you thought deciding who gets the dog…
My wife and I recently celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. In honor of the occasion, I asked couples who had been married 40, 50, or even 60 years a simple question: What relationship advice would you give to your younger selves? The participants ranged from a mid-60s couple who had just celebrated their 40th anniversary…
Ask anyone what they think keeps a relationship strong, and they will probably tell you it’s love. There’s some truth to that: love is what draws us together in the first place. But after years of studying couples as a psychologist, and as a husband, I’ve realized something that research keeps confirming: The real factor…
When people ask me what couples fight about the most, they expect the usual suspects like money, sex or parenting. But after years of research, and from real-life experience in my own marriage, the answer is much simpler: tone of voice. That’s right. It’s not the dishes in the sink or the unpaid credit card…
When Amy Morin was 26, her husband of five years died suddenly of a heart attack. They’d started building a life together, including buying a house and becoming foster parents. So “when he died, all of the lifelong dreams I had with him died, too,” says the now 46-year-old psychotherapist and author. Morin didn’t think…
