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b'Most marriage and relationship advice books focus on solving problems.\\xa0\\n\\nBut my guests today argue that we shouldn\'t wait until problems arise in our relationship to work on strengthening it. Instead, they say, when times are good, we should think about how to keep that good, and act to make it even better.\\xa0\\n\\nTheir names are James\\xa0Pawelski and\\xa0Suzann Pileggi Pawelski, and they\'re husband and wife.\\xa0James has a background in philosophy, and they both have backgrounds in psychology. They combined insights from both fields to write\\xa0the book\\xa0Happy Together:\\xa0Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love That Lasts. We begin our conversation discussing how most relationship advice falls short, the biggest myths people have about relationships, and the contrast between Plato\'s and Aristotle\'s approach to relationships. We then dig into the role emotions play in a relationship, particularly\\xa0passion, and what we can do to continue to cultivate and experience positive emotions in a marriage even after being together for years. We then dig into how our character influences our relationships and how our relationships influence our character. James and Suzann share insights on how and why to focus on our strengths, help our partners develop their strengths, and even go on a "strengths date" together. We end our conversation talking about the power of appreciation in relationships.\\n\\nGet the show notes at aom.is/happytogether.'