Marriage 101
In Episode 17 of Sex with Emily, Drs Patrick and Michelle Gannon join the show and share a little about their Marriage 101 class. Here are some interesting points they bring up.
- Couples have four roles: friendship, business (running the house for example), parenting, romantic (being intimate for example).
- If a couple is happy, this happiness only accounts for 15% of their marital satisfaction. If a couple is unhappy, it accounts for 85% of their marital satisfaction.
- The chemicals dopamine and oxytocin, among others are released during sex. [Oxytocin is associated with the bonding emotion. Dopamine is central to the brain's reward system]
- The most common thing that newlyweds need to figure out: time, sex, money.
- The number one argument starter for all couples: money.
- Happy couples have a 5:1 ratio of good to bad in their relationship.
- The following is a list of unhealthy behaviors: criticism, contempt (like rolling one's eyes), defensiveness and stonewalling (like silence treatment).
- Men need 20 minutes to calm down, women need 12.