Psychologist John Gottman has spent 20 years studying what makes a marriage last. Now you can use his tested methods to evaluate, strengthen, and maintain your own long-term relationship. This breakthrough book guides you through a series of self-tests designed to help you determine what kind of marriage you have, where your strengths and weaknesses are, and what specific actions you can take to help your marriage.

You'll also learn:

* More sex doesn't necessarily improve a marriage

* Frequent arguing will not lead to divorce

* Financial problems do not always spell trouble in a relationship

* Wives who make sour facial expressions when their husbands talk are likely to be separated within four years

* There is a reason husbands withdraw from arguments — and there's a way around it

Dr. Gottman tells you how to recognize attitudes that doom a marriage — contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling — and provides practical exercises, quizzes, tips, and techniques that will help you understand and make the most of your relationship. You can avoid patterns that lead to divorce, and — Why Marriages Succeed or Fail will show you how.

Preface

ONE What Makes Marriage Work?

TWO Marriage Styles: The Good, The Bad, and the Volatile

THREE The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Warning Signs

FOUR Your Private Thoughts Become Cast in Stone

FIVE The Two Marriages: His and Hers

SIX Your Marriage: The Diagnosis

SEVEN The Four Keys to Improving Your Marriage

EIGHT Strengthening the Foundations

Acknowledgments