John Gottman: Making Marriage Work

Jason Pagano
04/09/2009 at 8:00 p.m.

In 1986, Dr. John Gottman joined the University of Washington psychology department and set up his family research lab. He invited couples to spend the day at a comfortable apartment with a great view. While the couples talked and relaxed, researchers recorded facial expressions and monitored heart rates. And with the data gathered from their interactions, Gottman was able to make a stunning, accurate prediction. He could tell if a couple would stay together or get divorced. The relationship lessons learned in Gottman's "Love Lab" became the bestselling book, "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work."

John Gottman is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington and co–founder of the Gottman Institute in Seattle. His dozens of books include "The Relationship Cure" and "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child." Dr. John Gottman spoke about "Making Marriage Work" at Town Hall in Seattle on March 19, 2009, as part of ParentMap magazine's Pathways lecture series.