This is wedding season, and I know of 3 weddings in the past month among our friends and extended family. We also attended a 70th wedding anniversary celebration!
We are honoured to be among over 100 couples we know who have been together and/or married for 25 years or more. Those folks are doing something right and special! Personally, in 2021, we celebrated our 42nd year of being a couple and 40th wedding anniversary.
Do you know that sharing positive memories with your loved one promotes psychological and physical well-being as you age? According to a recent article from the University of McMaster Aging Portal, the benefits described below, were found in a study among older couples who reminisced together about their first encounters.
- “Remembering positive memories promotes psychosocial and marital well-being in older couples.
- Sharing common memories with your significant other is a common activity among older couples. Recalling these happy memories stimulates feelings of closeness and support, which increases marital satisfaction and decreases depressive symptoms.
- Positive marital relationships promote better sleep and decrease functional limitations, and make it easier to cope with the challenges of aging.” (The bolded areas are mine)
Although this study was about married couples, it is likely just as relevant for couples who have been together for a long time, but not married.
Read the full article here:
I have been thinking of how couples maintain happy and successful unions. What are the common things those couple share? What keeps them attracted to each other? What advice do they have for new couples starting out their lives together?
I have created a short questionnaire below. If you and your partner would you care to share your secret(s) to a long and successful union, please send your responses to me at May@MayQWong.com. I respectfully ask each partner/spouse to respond to all the questions, to tell both sides of the story.
I will summarize the information received in a future blog post, and keep you informed. If I use a quote from you I will only attribute it by your initials.
Please feel free to share this post with your network of couples who have been together for 25 years or more, and encourage them to share their experiences with me. There is so much strife and fear in the world, let’s help each other build positive relationships. You never know, we might learn something new to enhance our own relationships even more!
Questionnaire
The secret(s) to long and fulfilling unions/marriages
- How long have you been together______ years / married______ years?
- Was it “love at first sight” or something else (tell me some more)?
- What are the top 3 reasons for having had such a long and successful relationship with your partner/spouse?
- If you have children, how has raising a family affected your relationship with your partner/spouse?
- What are the top 3 characteristics of your partner/spouse that has kept you enthralled with her/him?
- What advice would you give new couples for achieving a long and fulfilling union?
- Your Gender
- Your Age
Many Thanks in advance for your time and willingness to share your wisdom!
(Note: the featured image above is courtesy of S. Churlish, on our wedding day)
Deadline: August 31, 2022.
Please include responses to all the questions from both partners, in the same e-mail to: