The formula for a happy marriage is five positive remarks, or interactions, for every one negative.

Source: "Happiness and Its Surprises." TED2004. Feb. 2004. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: This quote is from cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff's 2004 TED Talk on the subject of happiness research. This quote presents one such piece of research on happiness -- that for a marriage to be happy, positive interactions must outweigh negative interactions on a scale of five-to-one. In other words, the vast majority of communications between spouses must be friendly in order for both spouses to remain content with their partner. Watch the full TED Talk here: Nancy Etcoff - Happiness and Its Surprises

“Happiness and Its Surprises.” TED2004. Feb. 2004. Conference Presentation.