Be comfortable to acknowledge there is a problem Things can go sour when there is an unwillingness to acknowledge there is a problem, and be willing to talk about it with your partner. "Help me to understand what this means to you?"

Have a realistic attitude It's not the absence of problems that make a marriage satisfying, but how you deal with problems when they arise.

Be flexible on decision making Research indicates the happiest, most stable marriages in the long run were those where the husband treated his wife with respect and did not resist power sharing and decision making with her. When they disagreed, these husbands actively searched for common ground, instead of insisting on getting their own way.

Understand that not all battles can be resolved In a study observing hundreds of couples rated with satisfying marriages, two types of problems were observed: solvable and perpetual problems. Sixty-nine per cent of problems couples discussed were perpetual problems, those they were never going to solve, such as a spender and a saver living together. The good news from this is you don't have to worry about solving all your problems to have a satisfying relationship. In fact it is impossible to solve all your problems-that can be a relief.

The bad news is that along with all the wonderful benefits of being in your relationship, there will always be issues to deal with. Had you not hooked up with your partner and connected with someone else instead, you wouldn't have the same issues you have now, but for sure you would have another set of problems. The key to happiness is to manage the perpetual problems effectively and not let them erode your relationship. Learn to dialog and make a series of partial or temporary compromises that you can each live with.