The Sound Relationship House is a model developed by Dr. John Gottman to help understand relationships. The three bottom layers of the house create a foundation of friendship. Dr. Gottman states that maintaining friendship and emotional connection fosters romance and great sex.

The bottom floor of the house is Build Love Maps. This is about knowing each other’s world. A person asks open ended questions to continue learning about their partner.

The next floor is Share Fondness and Admiration. This is noticing the right things your partner does.

The floor above that is Turn Towards, which is turning towards your partner for connection rather than turning away. For couples who stay married, they turn towards their partner 86% of the time. For couples who divorce, they only turn towards their partner 33% of the time.