What keeps a relationship stronger?

Asked by: Freeda Jaskolski  |  Last update: February 2, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (24 votes)

Keeping a relationship strong involves consistent effort in open communication, mutual respect, and quality time, focusing on honesty, trust, and understanding each other's needs and love languages (affirmation, service, gifts, time, touch) to build a supportive and intimate bond. Prioritize active listening, showing appreciation, healthy conflict resolution as a team, and maintaining your own individuality to foster a healthy, sustainable connection.

What things make a relationship stronger?

Top tips on building and maintaining healthy relationships

  • Get to know yourself. Take the time to appreciate yourself and get in touch with your emotions to be able to express yourself clearly and more effectively. ...
  • Put in the work. ...
  • Set and respect boundaries. ...
  • Talk and Listen. ...
  • Let go of control. ...
  • Reflect and learn.

What is the 7 7 7 rule for couples?

The 7-7-7 rule for couples is a relationship guideline suggesting they schedule consistent, quality time together: a date night every 7 days, a weekend getaway every 7 weeks, and a longer, romantic vacation every 7 months, designed to maintain connection, prevent drifting apart, and reduce burnout by fostering regular intentionality and fun. While some find the schedule ambitious or costly, experts agree the principle of regular, dedicated connection is vital, encouraging couples to adapt the frequency to fit their lives.
 

What are the 5 C's of a relationship?

The "5 C's" of a strong relationship offer different but overlapping frameworks, often including Communication, Commitment, Compatibility, Compromise, and Care/Compassion (or Conflict Resolution/Chemistry/Closeness) as foundational elements for lasting connection, focusing on expressing needs, shared values, working through problems, and genuine affection. While specific lists vary, these core principles emphasize mutual effort to build trust and intimacy.
 

What is the 3-3-3 rule in a relationship?

The 3-3-3 rule in relationships is a viral guideline suggesting three checkpoints for evaluating a connection: after 3 dates (assess mutual attraction/chemistry), after 3 weeks (observe consistent effort and compatibility), and after 3 months (decide on exclusivity/long-term potential). It's a framework to avoid rushing, gain clarity, and determine if a partnership is moving towards something serious or is a time-waster, offering a structured way to balance hope with self-preservation.
 

Skills for Healthy Romantic Relationships | Joanne Davila | TEDxSBU

25 related questions found

What is the 70 20 10 relationship rule?

The 70-20-10 rule is primarily a learning and development framework for leadership, suggesting 70% comes from challenging experiences, 20% from relationships/feedback, and 10% from formal training, but it's also adapted for relationships, meaning appreciate 70%, work on 20% growth areas, and accept 10% quirks, and for content/innovation (70% proven, 20% premier, 10% experimental). It's a guideline, not a rigid law, for balancing growth, maintenance, and acceptance in different contexts.
 

What is the #1 thing that destroys marriages?

While different sources highlight various factors, many experts point to breakdown in communication, leading to contempt, disrespect, and lack of commitment, as the most destructive forces in a marriage, often manifesting as emotional distance, frequent criticism, and a feeling of being unheard or unloved. These issues erode trust and intimacy over time, with infidelity and power imbalances being extreme examples of these underlying problems. 

What are 5 qualities of a good relationship?

Five key qualities of a good relationship are Trust, Communication, Respect, Support, and Healthy Conflict Resolution, forming a foundation where partners feel safe, understood, valued, encouraged, and can navigate disagreements constructively, allowing for individuality and mutual growth. 

What's the 3 6 9 rule in dating?

The 3-6-9 dating rule is a framework for relationship progression, marking key phases: 3 months (honeymoon phase), 6 months (conflict/reality check), and 9 months (decision/solidification) to gauge compatibility by navigating challenges and seeing a partner's true colors before major commitments like moving in or marriage, helping to build a strong, realistic foundation by seeing good, bad, and ugly.
 

What are the 3 P's of a relationship?

The "3 P's" in a relationship vary by context, but common interpretations include Partnership, Patience, Perseverance for success, Plenty, Peace, Pleasure for a healthy dynamic, or Steve Harvey's version for men: Profess, Provide, Protect. Other sets focus on communication like Purpose, Posture, Presence, or conflict resolution like Pick, Project, Provoke. 

What is the 80 20 rule in love?

The 80/20 principle applied to love means that 80% of your feeling about your relationship comes from 20% of your interactions together. Accordingly, I offer the following proposition: If time with your partner is at least 80% Easy, and at maximum 20% Challenge, then you have a relationship that is sustainable.

What are signs of a healthy relationship?

Take a look at these 10 signs of a healthy relationship.

  • You respect each other. ...
  • You trust one another. ...
  • You communicate well as a couple. ...
  • You're both committed to the relationship. ...
  • You're kind to each other. ...
  • You enjoy each other's company. ...
  • You support each other's goals. ...
  • You make decisions together.

What age gap is too big?

There's no universal "too big" age gap, but generally, differences over 10 years become more challenging due to different life stages, cultural references, and peer groups, though success depends heavily on individual maturity, compatibility, shared goals, and communication, with some couples thriving with 15+ year gaps while others struggle with smaller ones. A common guideline, the "half your age plus seven rule," suggests the youngest someone can date is half your age plus seven, but it's a simplified, dated, and gender-biased idea. 

What makes men feel loved?

Feeling appreciated for their efforts and contributions is vital for men in a relationship. Whether it's working hard at their job, fixing something around the house, or being a great dad, acknowledging and appreciating these efforts makes men feel valued.

What are signs of an unhealthy relationship?

Unhealthy relationships are built on power and control. In the beginning, unhealthy behaviors might not seem like a big deal. However, insults, jealous accusations, yelling, put-downs, shoving, pushing or other abusive behaviors, are unhealthy and disrespectful. You deserve to be respected.

What makes a relationship last longer?

Successful long-term relationships

Stay curious about, but respectful of, each other. It is really important to stay up to date with your partner. Friendship is at the basis of all successful long-term relationships. Successful couples tend to be realists who recognise that a relationship will go through ups and downs.

What are the 5 C's of dating?

The "5 Cs of dating" offer guidelines for building healthy connections, with common versions focusing on Communication, Compatibility/Commonality, Chemistry, Consistency/Commitment, and Compassion/Character, though interpretations vary slightly, emphasizing open talk, shared values, attraction, reliability, and kindness as crucial pillars for a thriving relationship. These principles help assess if a connection is built to last beyond initial excitement, focusing on mutual respect and support. 

What is the 10 minute rule in dating?

Before you go to bed, they say this 10-minute rule is a simple fix. You just set aside 10 minutes every day for one person to speak while the other listens quietly. Oh.

What is the 3 squeeze rule in a relationship?

3-Squeeze Rule on Social Media

It's defined by kissing your partner after they've squeezed your hand 3 times. In this case, the 3 squeezes aren't just a comforting way of saying, “I love you,” but also a tender request for a kiss in romantic relationships.

What is the #1 trait of good relationships?

A healthy relationship thrives when each person brings something unique and special to it. The bedrocks of a healthy relationship are trust, honesty, and authenticity. Healthy relationships exist when value is placed on who you are together and who you are individually.

How can you build a lasting connection?

Essential Habits for Lasting Connection in Relationships

  1. Open and Honest Communication. ...
  2. Active Listening. ...
  3. Building and Maintaining Trust. ...
  4. Expressing Appreciation Regularly. ...
  5. Healthy Conflict Resolution. ...
  6. Spending Quality Time Together. ...
  7. Seeking Help: The Role of Counselling in Strengthening Relationships.

What are the 7 keys to a healthy relationship?

Matt shares seven principles that we can use to increase our marriage connections: Safety, Trust, Appreciation, Respect, Validation, Encouragement, and Dedication. By adhering to each of these principles our needs as well as our partner's needs can be met in healthy ways.

What kills relationships the most?

1 thing that 'destroys' relationships, say researchers who studied couples for 50 years. As a psychologist and sexologist, we've been studying relationships for more than 50 years combined, and we've found that no matter how you slice it, most of them fail because of poor communication.

What are the signs of a dying relationship?

You know a relationship is over when there's a consistent lack of emotional connection, trust, and effort, marked by poor communication, frequent contempt (eye-rolling, disgust), no shared future vision, and one partner stops prioritizing the other or putting in work, leading to resentment and a feeling that the relationship brings more stress than peace. It's over when the positive feelings and desire to share experiences fade, and you can no longer imagine a future together.
 

What are the 4 killers of marriage?

Gottman studied more than 2,000 married couples over two decades and found four attitudes that most predict the dissolution of a relationship, especially in combination. They are criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stonewalling — the four horsemen of the apocalypse.