According to a new study you could be your own marriage counselor. A study co-authored by a University of Rochester researcher finds that a "movie-and-talk" approach can be just as effective as early marriage counseling programs.
Married couples watch five films in a month's time. Four of the five movies included divorces. U of R Associate Professor of Psychology Ronald Rogge is the lead author of the study.
"We were shocked to find that the couples basically did know what was going well and poorly in their relationships and then discuss how their relationships were similar or different at the end of each movie cut the divorce rate in half over three years."
Rogge says newlyweds must watch movies that show the day-to-day struggles and triumphs of a relationship in order for it to be effective. Rogge says he and the other researchers think that the fact the couples spent more time focusing on their relationship is the main element that really helped them.
He does add that there are occasions when couples do need to seek professional help.