Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Love Prescription summary
John Gottman & Julie Schwartz Gottman
Seven Days to More Intimacy, Connection, and Joy
18 mins
Table of Contents
The Love Prescription
summarized in 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Look for small moments to connect.
Here’s something you’ve probably heard before – “Find ways to connect with your partner.” Standard advice, right? But maybe easier said than done.
Perhaps you can relate to Jeremy and Alison who came to a couples retreat organized by the Gottmans. They knew they had to fix their relationship, but they were completely burned-out.
This was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeremy and Alison were both working from home while trying to supervise their young children as they studied remotely.
“When do the two of you have opportunities to connect?” the Gottmans asked.
Jeremy and Alison blinked, incredulous. There weren’t any opportunities. They just didn’t have the time to connect with each other.
That’s how many couples feel. But actually, it’s not true. There are countless opportunities for meaningful connection throughout the day. We just have to spot them.
The Gottmans call these opportunities “bids for connection.” A bid for connection might be something really subtle. For example, when your partner sighs. Maybe that’s an invitation to ask, What’s wrong?
When your partner makes a bid for connection, you have three options. You can turn toward the bid, responding positively. You can turn away, not reacting at all. Or you can turn against, responding negatively.
Picture this. You’re sitting next to your partner, who’s scrolling through articles on their phone. “Hey,” says your partner. “This is interesting.”
That casual remark is a bid for connection. So how are you going to react?
You could easily ignore the bid, or say something like “Not now – I’m in the middle of work.”
Or, you could turn toward the bid. Look at your partner and ask, “What’s the article about?”
Of course, it’s difficult to respond in the right way every single time. But you should try to turn toward your partner’s bids for connection as much as possible.
Because here’s the thing. Over time, these moments add up. How you respond to your partner can make or break the relationship.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Love Prescription?
Key ideas in The Love Prescription
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Love Prescription about?
The Love Prescription (2022) is a practical guide to creating more intimacy and connection in romantic relationships. Based on 40 years of research, the authors offer simple actionable advice that will help couples in any phase of their relationship.
Who should read The Love Prescription?
- Busy people struggling to find time for their relationship
- Couples who feel the spark has gone
- Anyone who wants to know how to make love last
Categories with The Love Prescription
Books like The Love Prescription
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
26 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers