5 Surprising Elements of Love in Happy Relationships (video included)

December 5, 2013
DUNIA Contributor
Posted in Love & Relationships

Speaker and writer Jenna McCarthy opens up new avenues of thinking on how happy marriages really work in a TedTv feature. Not only do her thoughts flow easily, the information she provides is backed by research.

We couldn’t resist sharing the following 5 important notes on how long-term relationships work:

1. Her looks matter.
“…in the happiest marriages, the wife is thinner and better looking than the husband… It’s obvious that this leads to marital bliss because, women, we care a great deal about being thin and good looking, whereas men mostly care about sex … ideally with women who are thinner and better looking than they are. The beauty of this research though is that no one is suggesting that women have to be thin to be happy; we just have to be thinner than our partners.”

2. Focus on the Positives.
“These are couples who can find good in any situation. “Yeah, it was devastating when we lost everything in that fire, but it’s kind of nice sleeping out here under the stars, and it’s a good thing you’ve got all that body fat to keep us warm.””

3. Help Around The House.
“One of my favorite studies found that the more willing a husband is to do house work, the more attractive his wife will find him… The more attractive she finds him, the more sex they have; the more sex they have, the nicer he is to her; the nicer he is to her, the less she nags him about leaving wet towels on the bed — and ultimately, they live happily ever after.”

4. Spend quality time together.
“It turns out, merely watching a romantic comedy causes relationship satisfaction to plummet.”

5. Avoid catching that bug!
“Divorce is contagious. That’s right — when you have a close couple friend split up, it increases your chances of getting a divorce by 75 percent.“

VIDEO