9 New Ways to Deepen Your Relationship Bond by Dr Terri Orbuch l Relationship Advice l Tips to Strengthen Your Relationship l Relationship Tips l How to Have a Healthy Relationship

Happy relationships shouldn't be hard work! That's one of the upbeat findings from my landmark study of marriage, which has been following 373 married couples since 1986. Here's more good news for lovebirds: If you're in a happy partnership, married or not, you can keep it that way or make it even better by introducing a few new behaviors and small changes into the relationship. While many relationship experts say you need to focus on fixing what's wrong, my research shows that adding positive behaviors to the relationship has a much greater impact on couples' happiness.

Here are nine ways to deepen your relationship bond and be a happier couple, based on my research study.

Change and Grow - Together

Your love relationship is a living thing that needs nourishment to grow and develop. The best way to nurture it is to infuse it with change. Much like fertilizer for a plant, introducing change into relationships has been shown to be a key ingredient to couple happiness. The changes can be small, but they have to upset the routine enough to make him or her sit up and take notice. Switch roles: If he always makes the dinner reservation, let her do it. Or interrupt routines: Play hooky from work and do something fun together, like visiting a museum or tourist spot nearby. Or try something new: Take a water-skiing class together, or go on a mediation retreat.