How 7 Days Can Transform Your Relationship
The Science of Happiness
PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.5 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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From daily check-ins to meaningful compliments and planned dates nights, we explore a 7-day love challenge to help couples strengthen their relationships.
Developed by renowned psychologists Julie and John Gottman. Based on decades of research, this week-long practice offers simple, actionable steps to deepen connection and nurture relationships. From meaningful check-ins and heartfelt compliments to the importance of touch, we uncover how small, intentional actions can create lasting bonds. Whether you're looking to reignite romance or strengthen your partnership, the 7-day love challenge provides practical tools to bring more love and connection into your life.
Sign up for The Science of Happiness podcast's 7-Day Love Challenge to receive these science-backed practices delivered directly to your inbox at greatergood.berkeley.edu/7daylovechallenge
This is part of our series The Science of Love.
Day 1: Do a 10-minute check-in. This is great to do at the beginning or end of the day, but can be done any time that works for you.
Day 2: Ask a Big Question. Ask your partner one big question and see where it goes.
Day 3: Say Thank You! Take some time today to be a spy, looking out for all the positive stuff your partner does throughout the day.
Day 4: Give a Real Compliment. If you were to paint a verbal portrait of your partner's strengths, which 3 to 5 words would you use? This is a chance to express to your partner the core, essential things you love and appreciate about them.
Day 5: Ask For What You Need … By Describing Yourself. Ask what you need by talking about how you feel and what you need, not what they're lacking.
Day 6: The Magic of Mini-Touch Create as many moments of consensual physical connection as possible -- and it doesn't have to be about sex.
Day 7: Declare A Date Night! Invite your partner on a mini date. It doesn't have to be a fancy dinner, it can happen in the backyard, or on your porch.
More about the 7-day love challenge:
- Drs. John and Julie Gottman are psychologist and the co-founders of The Gottman Institute. They created this practiced based on decades of research studying over 3,000 couples.
Check out their book, The Love Prescription, Seven Days to More Intimacy, Connection, and Joy: https://tinyurl.com/34nt5vv9
This episode is supported by The John Templeton Foundation.
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
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Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2ezhr
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode was supported by the John Templeton Foundation Initiative, |
| 0:04.2 | Spreading Love Through the Media. |
| 0:08.8 | Well, we've been together for 26 years, and things get a little boring. |
| 0:13.4 | And we're together 24-7 pretty much. |
| 0:15.9 | I mean, Stephen's still working, and I'm not. |
| 0:19.5 | I'm retired, and so, you know, I do some things, and I'm taking |
| 0:23.1 | care of elderly parents and that kind of stuff. But, you know, your relationship can be a little |
| 0:28.7 | bit dry, and as you get older, certain things aren't as clear. Especially when you retire, you're |
| 0:36.8 | trying to figure out who are you. And then you're |
| 0:40.0 | looking at your relationship going, well, who are we? Welcome to the Science of Happiness. |
| 0:51.0 | I'm Dacker Keltner. Our relationships are at the heart |
| 0:54.6 | of what makes life meaningful. And in our Science of Love series, we're diving into the |
| 0:59.0 | research behind the bonds that shape us. We'll be sharing expert insights and practices, |
| 1:05.8 | like tips for building friendships as an adult, and how to fall in love with just 36 questions. |
| 1:11.6 | All to help strengthen your connections and bring more fulfillment into your life. |
| 1:16.6 | Today we're going to explore how small daily acts can strengthen our relationships |
| 1:21.6 | even in the face of life's challenges. |
| 1:24.6 | Our guests, Jenny and Stephen Wendell, share their journey of navigating, |
| 1:29.2 | communication, intimacy, and the stresses of caregiving while rediscovering their connection |
| 1:35.2 | through a seven-day love prescription. Grounded in science from relationship experts, |
| 1:40.3 | Julie and John Gottman, whom I deeply admire, this seven-day challenge invites couples to build |
| 1:46.6 | trust and commitment in the small moments of life. And later in the show, we hear from the |
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