ROMANCE
“What habits do happy couples have?”
I have been happily married for many years now. My close friends have strong marriages as well, going on for over 10 years. This is what has worked for me and my husband, and what I have observed from other happy couples:
1. They cook together.
Make it a point to prepare your meals together, even if you aren’t a very good cook. You both get to spend quality time together, as well as enjoy the fruits of your labor.
2. They try to resolve their fights as soon as possible.
We make it a point not to let our fights carry on to the very next day. We might not always be successful at it, but the mere fact that you are aware means that you try to resolve your problems quicker. It means setting your hurt and your pride aside, and looking to mend things with your partner. Letting the fight go on for too long will only give your anger more time to fester, and can lead to more hurt feelings than when you started.
3. They do community service together.
Happy couples involve themselves with the community regularly, whether in church, a local charity, or other services. There, they get to interact with other couples, giving them an opportunity to listen to their stories and learn.
Giving time for service helps set their hearts in the right place, which is good for the soul and for the home.
4. They set time for serious, productive conversations.
Couples are a team. They need to communicate. And there are times when they need to sit down and put their heads together, and other times pour their hearts out. When they talk, they have a goal in mind, which is to make things better in life.
These are the times when they talk about spending habits, deep insecurities, hurts, and ultimately, how to resolve them.
Unfortunately, I have met couples who don’t do this. Unsurprisingly, they did not stay together for very long.
5. They have time for recreation together (watching movies, reading books, exercise, etc).
Of course, couples need to wind down at the end of the day or during weekends. It’s important that while you have the right to do your own thing, like hang out or play sports with your friends, you need to have regular fun time with your partner as well.
6. Date nights and intimacy.
No matter how old you two get, there is always time to date. My husband and I set a date night at least once a week, usually on a Friday or Saturday evening. And we make sure we don’t get too tired. There’s still more to do after. *wink*
Lastly, while this isn’t a habit, I find this extremely important for couples who intend to stay long together, which is a shared set of values.
It could be any set of things you value, be it fidelity, honesty, hard work, loyalty, etc. You have to make these clear to each other. Because when the going gets tough, and it will, these are the things that you can hold on to.
Source: Quora
