8 Lessons From the World's Happiest Couples

By Jim Daly, CP Contributor Friday, April 05, 2013

The May edition of Reader's Digest features a breezy article titled "Is Your Marriage Normal or Nuts?"

Don't answer just yet.

But within the piece is a short list detailing eight lessons from the "World's Happiest Couples." I'd like to share them with you and ask if you might add to it:

1. Kindness Helps: 74 percent of couples who said they were happy give each other back rubs.

2. It's Not Necessarily about the Looks: 20 percent of the happiest partners say they're not physically attracted to their spouse.

3. Similar Personalities Help: Of the 45 percent of people who say they have a lot in common with their spouses, 95% describe their relationships as extremely happy.

4. Keep Talking: 40 percent of the happiest couples say communication – more than friendship, affection, or even sex – is the most satisfying part of the relationship.

5. Avoid the Couch: Only 1 percent of the happiest couples say they've ever slept on the couch.

6. Are Some Secrets OK? 27 percent of the happiest couples have kept secrets from each other.

7. Be Intimate Often: 60 percent of extremely happy couples have sex three or four times per week.

8. Arguing Can Be Healthy: 78 percent of the happiest couples argue occasionally.

Care to add # 9?

Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame-honored daily broadcast, heard by more than 2.9 million listeners a week on more than 1,000 radio stations across the U.S. Follow Jim Daly on Twitter @Dalyfocus Follow Jim Daly on Facebook Follow Jim Daly's blog at DalyFocus