He says that knowing each other well and having a solid friendship is the key to a successful marriage. I might have been able to figure this out too with a couple of million research dollars. Pardon me, I don't mean to seem cynical. He claims to predict with ninety per cent accuracy which married couples aren't going to make it. Interestingly enough, he says anger and fighting are not the most destructive elements in a marriage.
Happy couples fight.
As long as we're expressing honest anger and not put downs. Especially unconstructive criticism where the intent is not to work on and improve the problem but merely to put down and attack your partner. When accompanied by sarcasm or insult it indicates a marriage is in serious trouble Defensiveness . Instant anger and attack at the slightest hint of criticism. Withdrawing or refusing to talk about or deal with the issue.