Even though honesty, trust and a good sense of humour hold the top three rank for the most important factors in a relationship, there are some other elements that are also key to having a long lasting love.
A new survey conducted on British couples concerning the secrets to a happy marriage, having separate toilets, two cars and televisions all got the vote.
Having regular sex came up at number 20 on the list of 50 marriage tips, from a poll of 2,000 couples. The survey was carried out to mark the launch of a new book, How to Seduce Your Wife (or Anyone Else’s).
Other things that feature in the top 50 secrets include getting along with each other’s friends and family, not having ex-partners on your Facebook friends list and maintaining separate bank accounts.
Happy couples also revealed that trust, remembering birthdays and anniversaries and saying ‘I love you’ regularly help to keep a relationship happy and harmonious.
Andy Gibney, author of the book, said: “Trust, compromise and honesty are generally regarded as the most important things in a marriage but for most people, it’s not that simple.
“In the modern world, marriages are having to survive against a host of new technology with many couple falling out over what to watch on the TV or one or both of you spending too much time focusing on your computers, tablets or mobile phones.
“Romance is also an important factor, whether this is a surprise gift, a date night or simply some quality time together.
“After being married for a while, it’s easy to find you are stuck in a rut and not really paying each other any attention, but hopefully some of these ‘secrets’ will be helpful.”
Read on to find out the 50 secrets to a happy marriage:
-
Trusting each other
-
Same sense of humour
-
Always being honest with each other
-
Remember birthdays and anniversaries
-
Accepting each other’s faults
-
Compromising
-
Saying ‘I love you’ regularly
-
Knowing when to say sorry
-
Being able to laugh at each other
-
Having a similar outlook on life
-
Regular hugs/cuddles
-
Always kiss each other goodnight
-
The occasional romantic gesture
-
Considering your partner to be your best friend
-
Sharing the parenting duties
-
Always kiss each other goodbye in the mornings
-
Having some shared hobbies and interests
-
Always talk about a problem rather than bottling it up
-
Ask each other about their day
-
Regular sex
-
Having some different hobbies and interests
-
Knowing when to give each other some space
-
Never going to sleep on an argument
-
Regular holidays/mini breaks
-
Having similar aims and ambitions
-
Having the odd argument or disagreement
-
Continuing to make an effort to look nice for your partner
-
Getting on with each other’s family
-
Setting aside quality time for each other
-
Holding hands when you are out and about
-
Regularly complimenting each other
-
Having your own friends as well as mutual friends
-
Two TVs in the house
-
Getting on with each other’s friends
-
Each having a car
-
Still shaving/grooming
-
Each having equal share of the lie-ins when you have children
-
Separate bank accounts
-
Having regular nights out with friends, without your partner
-
Surprise gifts/presents
-
Not being friends with ANY ex-partners on Facebook
-
A rota to divide up the household chores
-
Regular date nights
-
Two bathrooms/toilets
-
Not having one person hogging the remote control
-
Similar working hours
-
Knowing each other’s passcode for their phone
-
A secret stash of cash they know nothing about
-
Keeping some things private (not going to the toilet in front of each other etc)
-
A night or two a week where neither of you use computers/laptops/phones etc.
