Honesty, compromise – and at least two TVs in the home have been named among the top secrets to a happy marriage, a study has revealed.
Researchers polled 2,000 happily married Brits and found that alongside the more well-known tips, these couples also suggest having two cars, two toilets or bathrooms and at least one night a week away from computers or tablets.
Getting on with each other’s friends and family, having no ex-partners on your Facebook friends list and separate bank accounts also feature in the top 50 secrets.
Blissful couples also say trust, remembering birthdays and anniversaries and saying ‘I love you’ regularly also help keep a relationship happy and harmonious.
Andy Gibney, author of How to Seduce Your Wife (or Anyone Else’s) said: ”Trust, comprise 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 help your marriage to be a long and happy one.’’
Trusting each other came top of the list, followed by having the same sense of humour, always being honest with each other and remembering each other’s birthdays and important anniversaries.
Accepting each other’s faults came fifth.
Compromising, saying ‘I love you’ regularly , knowing when to say sorry, being able to laugh at each other and having a similar outlook on life complete the top ten.
Blissful couples also recommend regular hugs and cuddles, always kissing each other goodnight and in the mornings before leaving the house and surprising your other half with the occasional romantic gesture.
Considering your partner to be your best friend, sharing parenting duties equally and having at least some shared hobbies or interests also feature high on the list.
Talking about a problem instead of bottling it up, asking how your partner’s day has gone and having regular sex completed the top twenty.
But in order to cut down on the disagreements, the secrets to a happy marriage also include no hogging the remote, having two TVs in the house to avoid any clashes over what to watch and each person having their own car.
Being happy to share your phone code or social media passwords with your partner also leads to a happy marriage.
The top fifty also includes never going to sleep on an argument and surprise gifts.
It also emerged that three quarters of people think you are more likely to have a happy and successful marriage if you are friends before becoming an item, while 95 per cent consider romance to be important.
But less than one in ten want the traditional flowers and chocolates, with 29 per cent just wanting a little surprise from their partner every now and then.
Another 21 per cent see it as a romantic gesture if it’s something which is personal to them as a person or a couple, while one in four just enjoy the small gestures such as holding hands in public.
Andy Gibney author of How to Seduce Your Wife (or Anyone Else’s) added: ‘’It should be obvious that it is communication that keeps people together, whether that’s verbal or non-verbal, but life has a way of getting in the way.
The research, and the message in the book, is keep talking, keep laughing, keep doing the things that made you happy at the start of your relationship and never lose it.
Keep the respect, keep the kissing and the intimacy and, above all, remember why you fell in love in the first place.”
50 secrets to a happy marriage
1. Trusting each other
2. Same sense of humour
3. Always being honest with each other
4. Remember birthdays and anniversaries
5. Accepting each other’s faults
6. Compromising
7. Saying ‘I love you’ regularly
8. Knowing when to say sorry
9. Being able to laugh at each other
10. Having a similar outlook on life
11. Regular hugs/cuddles
12. Always kiss each other goodnight
13. The occasional romantic gesture
14. Considering your partner to be your best friend
15. Sharing the parenting duties
16. Always kiss each other goodbye in the mornings
17. Having some shared hobbies and interests
18. Always talk about a problem rather than bottling it up
19. Ask each other about their day
20. Regular sex
21. Having some different hobbies and interests
22. Knowing when to give each other some space
23. Never going to sleep on an argument
24. Regular holidays/mini breaks
25. Having similar aims and ambitions
26. Having the odd argument or disagreement
27. Continuing to make an effort to look nice for your partner
28. Getting on with each other’s family
29. Setting aside quality time for each other
30. Holding hands when you are out and about
31. Regularly complimenting each other
32. Having your own friends as well as mutual friends
33. Two TVs in the house
34. Getting on with each other’s friends
35. Each having a car
36. Still shaving/grooming
37. Each having equal share of the lie-ins when you have children
38. Separate bank accounts
39. Having regular nights out with friends, without your partner
40. Surprise gifts/presents
41. Not being friends with ANY ex-partners on Facebook
42. A rota to divide up the household chores
43. Regular date nights
44. Two bathrooms/toilets
45. Not having one person hogging the remote control
46. Similar working hours
47. Knowing each other’s passcode for their phone
48. A secret stash of cash they know nothing about
49. Keeping some things private (not going to the toilet in front of each other etc)
50. A night or two a week where neither of you use computers/laptops/phones etc
ENDS
