Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last

Psychologist John Gottman draws on twenty years of research into what sustains marriages to offer practical guidance for evaluating and strengthening your own relationship. The book includes self-tests to help you identify your marriage type, recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and determine specific actions to take. Gottman challenges common assumptions about relationships: increased sexual frequency does not necessarily improve a marriage, frequent arguing does not inevitably lead to divorce, and financial problems do not always damage a relationship. He identifies specific warning signs, including wives displaying sour facial expressions during conversations with their husbands (associated with separation within four years) and husbands withdrawing from arguments. The book teaches you to recognize attitudes that threaten a marriage—contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling—and provides practical exercises, quizzes, tips, and techniques to help you understand your relationship and avoid patterns that lead to divorce.