The 10 Habits of Happy Couples
It’s been said that happy couples are the ones who manage to maintain their love and healthy relationship habits over time, despite difficulties. Relationships are never easy and require more than love to be something lasting or lifelong.
There’s no magic formula to maintain happiness in a relationship. However, Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist, consultant, and international lecturer, has revealed the 10 habits of happy couples that in one way or another help to strengthen the sentimental bonds between them.
1. The habits of happy couples: Going to bed at the same time
When the relationship is starting, it’s normal that some people feel anxious to go to bed together and share that special moment. However, maintaining this habit over the years is one of the secrets to strengthening the relationship and maintaining happiness.
Goulston suggests that the dialogue and skin-to-skin contact that occurs when the two go to bed together helps to improve communication and maintain sexual desire.
2. Cultivate common interests
As the couple gets to know each other, they realize that they may have few interests in common. However, this doesn’t mean that they can’t be made for each other. On the contrary, it may be the opportunity to start doing activities together and get out of your routine!
Of course, so that the relationship doesn’t become dependent or codependent, it’s also very important to respect each others space and individuality and keep doing the activities that each person does on their own.
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3. Happy couples walk hand in hand
Although often not taken into account, contact through the hands can establish a unique connection with another person. The touching of hands produces pleasurable sensations that help to preserve the happiness and essence of happy couples.
Goulston’s recommendation is to walk hand in hand as much as possible, rather than letting one person fall behind because they’re slowing down or stopping to look at something.
4. Happy couples trust and forgive each other
Relationships can be affected by disagreements, arguments, fights, misunderstandings, anger, and all those things that momentarily seem to have no solution.
However, in order to not let this affect the happiness of both, it’s very important to learn to dialogue and control negative feelings before throwing offensive words or doing or saying something you don’t want to.
The general recommendation is not to wear each other out and learn to forgive and trust each other. These two ingredients are the foundation of lasting, happy relationships.
5. Focus on your partner’s positive qualities
Highlighting your partner’s flaws is not healthy and only destroys the relationship. It’s very important to emphasize the positive qualities of your partner and try to highlight them as often as possible.
By looking only for the good things, the relationship is filled with positive energy and stays away from fights.
6. Happy couples hug when reunited
The power of hugs is incredible, and even more so when they come from a partner. According to the expert, “the skin has a memory of good caresses” (love), “bad caresses” (abuse), and “no caresses” (neglect).
Obviously, in happy couples “good caresses” predominate and are present, for example, after an exhausting day of work, some days of absence, or simply in a sudden, spontaneous moment.
7. Say “I love you” and “good morning” every morning
To start the day in the best way and cultivate values such as patience, respect, and affection, there’s nothing better than repeating these two phrases every morning.
Although everything must also be demonstrated with deeds, the power of words also strengthens, encourages, and renews your relationship again and again.
8. Happy couples say goodnight to each other
“Goodnight” is a way to end the day in the best possible way by showing that you want the best for each other, despite the difficulties of the day, fatigue, or possible problems that you’ve had during the day.
Make it a habit!
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9. Happy couples call during the day
In addition, the expert indicates that this is a habit that maintains the complicity and connection when both people can’t see each other physically. However, it’s very important that calls or text messages aren’t turned into a form of “control” over the relationship.
10. Feeling proud to be seen as a couple
Finally, happy couples tend to show their love in the social sphere and when they’re in public. Without making the people around them uncomfortable, happy couples often hold hands, kiss each other, share a hug or give each other any token of affection to show that there’s a very special connection between them.
In short, these habits we’ve named can define what happy couples do on a daily basis. However, every relationship is different. Even if you don’t do all of these things with your partner, you can still consider yourselves a happy couple. On the other hand, if you think there are problems in your relationship, don’t hesitate to consult a couple’s therapist!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Comte-Sponville, A. (2015). El amor. Ni El Sexo Ni La Muerte. https://doi.org/10.1021/la1039442
- Klein, M. (1937). Amor, Culpa Y Reparación. Bibliotecas de Psicoanálisis Obras Completas de Melanie Klein. https://doi.org/10.1136/ard.2008.094508
- Andrade, A. G. (2015). El amor como problema sociológico. Acta Sociológica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acso.2015.05.002
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Goulston, M., & Ullmen, J. (2013). Real influence: Persuade without pushing and gain without giving in. Amacom.
