A successful marriage takes work. Experts agree that married couples should be committed to one another in every way possible. While there are endless factors that can contribute to a happy marriage, there are some focal points that experts agree promote a strong marriage…
These may include making an effort to spend time communicating and sharing their feelings, setting aside days for quality time, and always being open to seeing the other person’s perspective. It is important to feel like you are on the same team as your partner and these points, along with others, will help to promote that feeling.
Since we know many couples go through periods where they feel lost and confused, we have compiled a list of 5 books that have helped many marriages avoid divorce. At the end of the day, the little things make the biggest difference…so why not make reading a book your first step so you can start your journey of looking after one another? Here are 5 books for a better marriage…
Five Books for Improving Relationships and Saving Marriages
- The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert
- The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0
- How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It
Books for a better marriage come in all shapes and sizes, but some are smarter, deeper and more hard-hitting than others. Here are just five titles that can help people who are struggling with their spouses or relationships.
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1. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Dr. Gary Chapman was a marriage counselor for more than 20 years when he decided to compile everything that he’d learned into a book. The result, The 5 Love Languages, is an exploration of the idea that everyone expresses their love in a different way. Everyone has their own “love language.” For example, some people might need words of affirmation while others are more grounded by acts of service or physical touch. For anyone with a marriage in crisis, saving the relationship might mean learning the language of your partner.
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2. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert
John Gottman, a psychological researcher, did something a little different in his book The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Instead of relying on emotion-based cliches and stereotypes, he put marriage under a microscope and studied it like a scientist. To his surprise, he was able to identify several key factors in stable, long-term relationships, and he decided to share the data by breaking down the studies and helping the average person understand them. He even threw in worksheets and questionnaires for other students of marriage.
3. The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
Written by pastor Timothy Keller with contributions from his wife Kathy, The Meaning of Marriage offers a unique perspective on commitment. Rather than lecturing couples on what they should and shouldn’t do, this book acknowledges the nuances, subtitles, and complexities of the modern Christian life, and it doesn’t propose any clear-cut ways around them. Instead, it encourages the reader to develop their own inner wisdom for dealing with complicated situations and crises of faith, and it offers guidance for achieving personal fulfillment as well as relationship success.
4. Emotional Intelligence 2.0
While not meant specifically for married folk, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 can be a handy guide for anyone who is adrift in their love life. The aim of author Travis Bradberry is to help his readers increase their emotional intelligence (EQ) and overcome their problems in a positive, constructive way. By learning things like how to admit fault in an argument, readers can use this book to improve their dating game, enhance their relationships and even save their marriage entirely.
5. How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It
Dr. Patricia Love and Dr. Steven Stosny team up for this eye-opening book on married life. Instead of touting the usual advice about “listening more” and “communicating better,” How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It proposes the idea that you don’t need to talk about a problem to fix it. Action is often better than words, and a strong emotional connection is better for the longevity of a relationship than a strong dialogue. It’s a revolutionary idea, but the authors prove why it’s worth considering.
These are just a few titles that can help a relationship in trouble. From pastors to clinical researchers, there are many authors out there with helpful advice for struggling husbands and wives, and these books for a better marriage are among the finest of their works.
While reading a book for a few minutes a day doesn’t give you marriage super powers, it is an important step when trying to improve your marriage. Most people overlook the fact that marriage takes work and we aren’t just born knowing how to look after one another in this way. When couples start to struggle, marriage counselors agree no amount of work is off limits. Reading one of these incredible books that have helped so many couples go on to have better marriages may be just what you need. Start small, it may be all you need to feel refreshed and improve your marriage.
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