The research on marital satisfaction after having children contains a finding that surprises most new parents: for the majority of couples, relationship satisfaction declines after the birth of the first child. Not for everyone, and not permanently, but the decline is documented, replicable, and begins within the first year of parenthood for most couples. Understanding…
John Gottman has spent four decades studying what makes marriages succeed and fail. His lab at the University of Washington can predict divorce with better than 90% accuracy by observing couples for as little as fifteen minutes. What he found isn’t surprising once you understand it — but it’s counterintuitive enough that most couples don’t…
Social media has given everyone a distorted picture of strong marriages. Romantic getaways, anniversary posts, public displays of appreciation. That is the highlight reel. What strong marriages actually look like day to day is considerably less photogenic — and considerably more instructive. They Handle Conflict Directly Strong couples do not avoid disagreement. They have learned…