You heard it right, what I said is true and has just been proven through research and tests. A group of psychologists have discovered that people who smile more in their older photos such as a yearbook, are more likely to have successful marriage later on. They conducted a study, and they found out that among the 10% of the greatest smilers (people who really smiled in a yearbook photo) none had a failure in marriage. While, within the bottom 10 % of the smilers, almost 1 in four had a failed marriage. In another study, conducted to support this theory, they asked photos of 65 year old people in their early or younger years. Those who are smiling and happy in their photos, only had 10% of failed marriage, while 31 % of the frowners had broken relationships.
The general conclusion is that people who frowns and wear sad smiles in photos have five times more likelihood of divorce and broken marriages. Hard to believe? This is the truth, and even the psychologists who conducted the test have a puzzle in explaining, though they also have varied possible explanations.
It could be that those who smile more in photos indicate a happier disposition in life, which makes it easy for marriage and family life. Another is that, happy people attracts the same kind of people, so this combination would have a strong likelihood of setting this marriage and partnership up for success.
So in all of these information, we can really say that how we carry outselves today, and our outlook of life, really has a strong impact on what our life will become in the future. Whatever we do today, will have an effect on what will happen to our lives in the future.
Original Article/Source: Smiles Predict Marriage Success
People are so busy nowadays. Most of us are guilty of taking our loved ones for granted. Yes, it is taken that our loved ones might already know that they are important to us, and that they matter so much. That they are the reason why we are so busy, trying to get a decent life for them. But, we fail to invest our time on spending it with them, thus, we cannot blame them if they doubt our love for us. The way we manage our time, reveals our priorities. And while, the current economy, might create the need for us to always be on the go, and look for ways of creating money to support our families, we should not forget ever to spend our precious time with them. It doesn't matter how short or long it is, per day. As long its regular. And remember, its not quantity but quality that matters most. If you think, you are this person, who have somewhat neglecting your loved ones, specially your life partner or your kids, you better watch the movie of "World Trade Center", a true to life story of 2 policemen who survived the tragedy of the World Trade Center Attack.
It is a heartfelt story. It will make you cry, and make you appreciate the life of your loved one more.
WORLD TRADE CENTER
From the three time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone comes this inspiring story about courage, family and our nation's unyielding spirit. Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña star as John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, two New York City Port Authority policemen who were trapped n the rubble of September 11, 2001. As McLoughlin and Jimeno bond together in a fight for survival, the events of an unimaginable day unfold through the eyes of the two policemen, their loving wives (Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhal), survivors and rescuers throughout the city.
Daily Habit #1: Talk to Each Other
Happily married couples typically say their relationships work better when they can sit down and gab one-on-one, like thinking, feeling adults. But who's got time for that? Actually, anybody who sleeps at night, if you follow the lead of Julie and Thom and their nightly visits to their "igloo."
"It all started one winter night years ago, when Julie had had a really bad day," says Thom, 33, a marketing director in Columbus, Ohio. "We were huddled under the covers of our bed, and Julie was describing how all the people who made her day miserable were 'bad polar bears' and how she didn't want any of the bad polar bears coming into the bedroom and how the bed was our refuge from them. You realize how embarrassing it is to admit this, right? Anyway, that's when we started calling the bed the igloo."
"The igloo is a place to retreat to," says Julie, 31. "It's our little sanctuary; only nice things happen in the igloo."
Eventually Julie and Thom began holding a powwow in the igloo at the end of every day, making a nightly excursion that Julie says has become a vital part of their five-year relationship.
"It's funny, because I always thought that when you lived with somebody, you'd automatically know everything that was going on," she says. "But we find that if we don't take that time to connect with each other, it's really easy for life to get in the way. The igloo offers one of the few times in the day where there's not a whole heck of a lot else going on, so you're able to focus on each other in a deeper way."
Daily Habit #2: Flirt
Most couples realize that getting intimate every night isn't possible, let alone a worthy goal. Indeed, a 1994 University of Chicago survey of Americans' physical intimacy habits found that only about a third of adults have physical intimacy more than once a week.
That doesn't mean, though, that you can't at least talk sensually every day, and that's the approach that Ed and Stephanie have taken in the more than six years they've been together.
"It's funny," says Ed, a 33-year-old San Francisco cab driver, "because we know plenty of couples who fight, a lot, about how often they have physical intimacy. The wife's upset because all he ever wants to do is get intimate. But this has never really been a problem with us, and I think it has a lot do with the fact that we're always talking sensually to each other."
"Absolutely," says Stephanie, a 32-year-old massage therapist. "We're always complimenting each other, tossing out fantasies, telling each other we're appealing. He gets to feel like he can have sensual feelings, and I feel like I don't have to have physical intimacy all the time to appear attractive.
Let's put it this way: The way I see it, physical intimacy is like chocolate cake. After five days of eating chocolate cake, even chocolate cake doesn't taste that great."
"Right," Ed says, "but after five days of talking about chocolate cake, that cake tastes really good."
Daily Habit #3: Get Stupid Together
Bob and Angie are ashamed to admit that the daily ritual that brings such joy to their 12-year marriage is none other than reality TV. That's right. They lived and died with "Survivor." They've adopted "Big Brother." "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" They do.
"Honestly, I think we just need to be dumb for a while," says Bob, 37, a shoe designer for Reebok in Boston. "We're both very into our careers. And when you're at work, with any job there's going to be a certain amount of professional stress. You like to come home sometimes and, for that lousy hour or whatever, kick back and relax."
Or as Angie, 36, a marketing executive, says, "Life is serious enough, isn't it? Sometimes you need to do something stupid. And if you can't be stupid with your husband, who can you be stupid with?"
Daily Habit #4: Declare Your Independence
So hold on, then: Is domestic joy found in partners smothering each other in obsessive daily rituals?
Hardly. In fact, Tessina says that sleepwalking through a series of hollow routines (although probably an apt description of your day job) is worse for your relationship than having no routines at all. The solution, she says, is to also make a daily habit of getting away from each other.
The point, naturally, is not to make space for each other in that I-can't-wait-to-get-away-from-you sort of way but to pursue your own hobbies and interests. It's a distinction that Joe tried hard to make to Lori during their delicate pre-engagement negotiations four years ago.
These days, Lori and Joe are practically poster children for the power of independence. Joe, who works for a nonprofit agency, spends his nights taking painting classes, building youth centers, and recording his guitar sessions. Lori, a college professor, spends hers directing community-theater musicals and indulging in trashy movies on cable television, a passion that Joe (go figure) doesn't seem to share.
"It all brings a freshness to our relationship because we both continue to grow as people," Joe says.
Daily Habit #5: Share a Spiritual Moment
In another University of Chicago survey, this one of married couples, 75 percent of the Americans who pray with their spouses reported that their marriages are "very happy" (compared to 57 percent of those who don't). Those who pray together are also more likely to say they respect each other and discuss their relationship together.
Not to say that prayer is a cure for all that ails you. But whether they're talking about a simple grace at dinnertime or some soul-searching meditation, couples routinely say that a shared spiritual life helps keep them close. And as Doug and Beth say, even couples who are on different sides of the theological fence can benefit from praying together daily.
"We have been married for seven years, but praying together is something we didn't start doing until about a year ago," says Doug, a 32-year-old Salt Lake City biochemist. "In the past, whenever we faced big decisions, we'd have discussion after discussion about them, but we'd never really come to a resolution."
"I soon found that praying together brings out a real sense of selflessness and humility," Doug says. "When you're praying for each other, not yourself, you're focused together and speaking from the heart on a whole different level. I would never have predicted this for us, but it really works."
"As bad as any problem may seem at that moment," agrees Beth, "prayer always helps us see beyond it. It doesn't have to be a long-drawn-out scripture reading, just a few minutes a day. When we pray, it brings another level of honesty to our conversations. I think it's the most intimate thing you can do with another person."
Now they pray together every night, once the "urchins" are in bed, which puts them in the company of the 32 percent of American married couples who say they pray together regularly. It also puts them in the company of Julie and Thom, when the other couple isn't holed up in their igloo, of course.
"It's pretty short and not at all scripted," says Julie about their giving thanks before each meal. "We just join hands and let it rip. Whether we're asking for forgiveness or giving thanks, saying it out loud holds a lot of power.
"Besides, regardless of religion or spiritual preference, I think that most marriages require a ton of faith," Julie sums up. "You've got to believe that somehow the two of you are going to make it through things. You've got to believe that you're being blessed with this person. And even if the power we feel just comes from the strength of our love, even if we don't believe that it's God who is helping us, I still think that it's good to acknowledge that there's a force between the two of us that's helping us out."
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