Revealed! 14 Real-World Secrets of a Happy Couples

Redbook

Check out these tiny truths guaranteed to bring couples closer in a big way.

By Colleen Rush

1. "Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And second, let her have it."
--Former President Lyndon B. Johnson

2. "Find the good and praise it."
--Author Alex Haley

3. "Good wine, chocolate truffles and a subtitled foreign film the kids will hate. To me, those nights are what make a marriage heavenly."
--Kirsten, Edison, NJ

Related: 5 Things Super-Happy Couples Do Every Day

4. "To keep the fire burning brightly, there's one easy rule: Keep the two logs together, near enough to keep each other warm and far enough apart for breathing room."
--Marnie Reed Crowell, nature writer

5. "If my wife wants more than a peck on the cheek, she'll grab me and kiss me. Don't expect your partner to know and do everything you want. Go for it yourself."
--Steve Brody, Ph.D., an author of Renew Your Marriage at Midlife

6. "Never stop holding hands."
--Jan, via email

7. "At certain hours our bedroom is off-limits to our kids. You have to create sanctuaries where couple time is sacred."
--Rafael, New York

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits Explained


8. "We swap plates in the middle of a meal at a restaurant. That just seems like the epitome of a great marriage."
--Miranda, Los Angeles

9. "Young love is loving someone because of what they do right; mature love is loving someone in spite of what they do wrong."
--Mark Goulston, M.D., author of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship

Related: Eat Your Way to Better Sex: Aphrodisiac Recipes

10. "A happy marriage is one in which you both know you're going to run into rough patches, but you're committed to working through them. What comes afterward is truly wonderful."
--Robert Epstein, research professor at the California School of Professional Psychology

11. "Giving each other a get-out-of-jail-free pass for skipping a visit with the in-laws."
--Cara, via email

12. "Couples in happy marriages don't insist on having similar interests. They celebrate their differences."
--Ted Huston, Ph.D., professor at University of Texas, Austin

13. "A hot robe right out of the dryer after a shower on a cold morning. My wife started this ritual years ago, and it says volumes about how far we'll go to make each other happy."
--Murphy, Portland, ME

Related: Is Faking it Ever Okay? (This Guy Says Yes)

14. "We touch and tickle each other all the time."
--Sharon, Costa Mesa, CA


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