50 secrets to a happy married life

 

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:

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.