Science can predict, from three minutes of conversation, whether a couple will still be together years later. The deciding factor isn’t what couples argue about. It’s the language they use when they do. Drawing on four decades of practice and the Gottman research that shaped his work, Dr. Rein shows couples why the same fights keep happening, how to recognize the patterns pulling them apart, and the specific words that bring them back together. For anyone who says too much, too little, or doesn’t know what to say at all.

Marital conflict is rarely about a couple’s differences. It’s about how the conversation goes when those differences come up, and how quickly interrupting, blaming, and criticizing become the pattern. In this concise, practical guide, Dr. Rein shows couples how to talk about the hardest subjects, including money, chores, intimacy, and parenting, without falling into the cycle of criticism and blame, and find their way back to a stronger marriage.