02-14-2008

Recipe for Romance

It may seem that happy couples float through life without a care in the world — especially on Valentine's Day. But even the most blissful relationships take a lot of effort, according to Brooke Feeney, an associate professor of psychology and director of Carnegie Mellon's Relationships Laboratory. Think you're the only one with baggage? Think again. Everyone enters a new relationship with certain expectations and beliefs, says Feeney, who observes couples' interactions to spot what works and what doesn't in building happy relationships. The good news is that, with a little effort, each partner can overcome those beliefs and not let them turn into the self-fulfilling prophesies that  doom relationships.

Kelli McElhinny