Working on your relationship? Understand the science behind finding and keeping a mate. Check out these 5 excellent relationship advice books.

1. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman & Nan Silver

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“John Gottman has revolutionized the study of marriage by using rigorous scientific procedures to observe the habits of married couples in unprecedented detail over many years. Here is the culmination of his life’s work: the seven principles that guide couples on the path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Packed with practical questionnaires and exercises, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.”

2. From First Kiss to Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love by Marisa T. Cohen, Ph.D.

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“Do you want to understand the science behind finding a mate, maintaining long-lasting relationships, or even what makes some relationships doomed to fail? Help your relationships grow and flourish, and have a few hearty laughs along the way.”

3. Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last by John M. Gottman & Nan Silver

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“Dr. Gottman teaches you how to recognize attitudes that doom a marriage—contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling—and provides practical exercises, quizzes, tips, and techniques that will help you understand and make the most of your relationship. You can avoid patterns that lead to divorce, and—Why Marriages Succeed or Fail will show you how.”

4. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

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“The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.”

5. The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook by Ellen McCarthy

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“From a Washington Post weddings reporter who’s covered more than two hundred walks down the aisle comes a warm, witty, and wise book about relationships—the mystery, the science, and the secrets of how we find love and make it last.”

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