The Habits of Happy Marriages

by guest blogger Alicia Lawrence

We've all seen them, those happy couples who are still just as in love on their 50th anniversary as they were on their wedding day. But sadly, in an age where 50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, those blissfully happy couples are becoming increasingly harder to find.

If you want to take your marriage from one that just gets by and survives to one that thrives, following the habits of happy couples listed below is a great place to start:

Talk to Me, Baby

Individuals often have very different ways of expressing love. Gary Chapman's book The Five Love Languages defines five different ways people express and receive love: words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, physical touch, and gifts. According to Chapman's theory, if we aren't using our spouse's preferred language, he or she will not feel truly and deeply loved. As a result, sincere people who have the best of intentions can find their relationships undermined by miscommunication, frustration and unhappiness.