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Gratitude Articles & More

Tuesday Tip: Appreciate the Love in Your Life

One thing you can do today to be happier.

By Christine Carter | April 5, 2011

Express gratitude to the one you love.

Research shows that gratitude is one of the most powerful—and efficient—ways to strengthen a romantic relationship (or any relationship, for that matter). Gratitude is relationship-strengthening because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and cared for by other people.

Celebrate the one you love by detailing all the things that you appreciate about him or her. Cut out a dozen paper hearts, and write one thing for which you are grateful on each.

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© 2011 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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Interested in more tips for happy couplehood? Check out this daylong workshop with Christine Carter and Fred Luskin.

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About the Author

Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (BenBella, 2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Ballantine Books, 2015), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (Random House, 2010). A former director of the GGSC, she served for many years as author of its parenting blog, Raising Happiness. Find out more about Christine here.

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