What Makes Love Last

When couples are trustworthy they send each other the message that they and the partnership are unique and irreplaceable. During couples’ counseling I call this “creating the sacred” because “sacred” and “sacrifice” have the same root—both words originated in early religious practices that involved sacrifice as a form of worship. In a long-term, committed relationship, sacrifice entails both people agreeing to give the romance priority over other goals and dreams. Learning to do this may be difficult for couples who no longer connect emotionally. These “partners” may have coped with years of unhappiness by leading separate, parallel lives. It can be hard to break this habit, but it is certainly possible.

couple’s mutual trust score indicates how deeply they are in this together and have each other’s back. In contrast, trustworthiness indicates a partner’s willingness to sacrifice for the relationship, to sometimes put his or her own needs on the back burner because the partnership matters most.

the Nice box housed positive emotions and behaviors such as interest, amusement, humor, laughter, excitement, joy, validation, and empathy.