Episode 495: Why Even Happy Couples Fight (And How To Do It Right)

About this episode

This episode discusses the inevitability of conflict in relationships and how to navigate it in healthier ways.

A lot of people believe that if you’re in the “right” relationship, you shouldn’t fight. They think that conflict means something is wrong or that you’re incompatible. However conflict isn’t a failure—it’s inevitable. In today’s episode, we’re rethinking what conflict really means and how to navigate it in healthier, more constructive ways. I am joined once again by Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh, an award-winning social psychologist, TED Speaker, and relationship expert. Her latest book, Love by Design: 6 Ingredients to Build a Lifetime of Love, introduces the Emergent Love Model, a framework born from research with hundreds of couples across 41 countries. Some of the specific topics we explore in this episode include: Is it true that happy couples don’t fight? How can conflict avoidance be an even bigger problem than frequent conflict? Why is it important to think about conflict as a disagreement rather than a fight? How can couples navigate mismatches in their conflict style? What does “healthy conflict” look like in practice? Learn more about Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh at www.Sara-Nasserzadeh.com and join her online community here and follow her on Instagram here. Got a sex…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Justin Lehmiller

Guest: Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh

Topics covered

• conflict in relationships
• healthy communication
• relationship dynamics
• conflict resolution
• couples therapy

Keywords

• happy couples
• conflict avoidance
• healthy conflict
• relationship expert
• Emergent Love Model

Sponsors

VB Health

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Love by Design: 6 Ingredients to Build a Lifetime of Love

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