10 Nonverbal Ways to Improve Your Marriage

Most married people will most likely notice that the majority of the effectiveness of daily communications is actually assisted by different nonverbal cues. This is the reason why nonverbal communication is important in marriage life when it comes to how couples relate to each other. You need to remember that the unconscious mind is powerful and it can pick up on lots of different things about another person. 

One of the best examples of nonverbal communication is body language. Your posture can tell people a lot about how you think about them. Well, we’re not suggesting that you stop talking to your husband or wife because that will not solve any issues you have with each other. But it has been estimated that more than 90% of the effectiveness of communication is facilitated by nonverbal cues. 

If you want to improve your marriage, maybe nonverbal communication is the key. Today, we are going to give you 10 different ways on how you can improve your marriage without talking about it. 

1. Understand the Moods of Your Spouse

The first step in improving your marriage is being more aware of your husband or wife’s moods. However, this can be one of the most difficult things that marriage calls upon a couple to do. But we give out lots of cues about our mood nonverbally. You can do this by keeping a careful eye on your spouse’s movements every day because that’s where you can find clues on how he or she is feeling. 

For example, if you notice that your spouse is frowning, silent, and not making eye contact, those can be clues that he or she is in a bad mood and you should not set up a conversation at that moment. By paying attention to these cues, you will be able to improve communication, which in turn, will contribute to improving your marriage. 

2. Always Express Affection

Some of the things that nonverbal communication involves are eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, and body language. To improve your marriage, it is important to always express affection in a physical, non-sexual way. If you never do this, then your partner might start unconsciously or consciously thinking that you don’t love him or her. Therefore, you need to express your affection to them on a daily basis. You can do this by simple gestures such as holding their hand, holding them in your arms, or rubbing their shoulders. 

3. Always Set Aside Some Time for Your Spouse

Giving time to each other is also an important part of marriage. If you want to improve your relationship, you need to set some time for your spouse. It’s because when you’re always too busy, your spouse might feel detached and disconnected from you which is not beneficial for improving your marriage. 

4. When Expressing Disagreement, Use Positive Language

During verbal communication, nonverbal communication also plays a role. For example, if you are trying to express yourself to your partner, it is usually the words that are left unsaid that mean much more than the words that are said. When you often use negative language such as “whatever”, “however”, and “yes, but” in responding to the questions, your spouse might feel uncomfortable. It’s because negative language can trigger negative emotions as well. 

Therefore, whenever you have a disagreement, using a positive language is important. Keep in mind that the tone and attitude of a person are not always verbalized, but is understood in their voice and words. Also, by using positive language, you will be able to see a decrease in the arguments that are worsened by negative emotions. 

5. Sincerely Apologize When You Are Wrong

When you made a mistake, it’s also important to apologize to your spouse. It’s because admitting that you are wrong can be treated as an indirect way to show your love as well. In fact, expressing apology is more powerful compared to straightforwardly expressing love. 

6. Help in Doing Chores

If you share doing the chores at home, you can improve your marriage by doing your spouse’s chores sometimes. It can demonstrate affection and as well as concern. It can also surprise your spouse and make him or her feel that you care about his or her work. 

7. Give Small Presents to Your Spouse

Giving small presents from time to time can also help in improving your marriage. You can give your spouse love letters, books, flowers, or anything that he or she likes. You can also give these small presents as a surprise by leaving them where they can be found. For example, you can leave your small presents in the kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom. Giving presents is also a way of showing affection that can lead to improving your marriage. 

8. Appear United in the Outside World

Whenever you are outside or with other people, you need to appear united. Avoid correcting or contradicting your partner in front of others because that will make them feel embarrassed and can also build up unnecessary resentment later. When in public, avoid heated disagreements as much as possible. 

9. Commit to a Daily Action That Shows Love

You can also write vows or something you swear to do without compensation or cause. These can be things or one simple action that you can do daily for your spouse. For example, you can promise to make steak for your spouse whenever he or she requests it. It can be small things that can take less than ten minutes to do. You can include in your vows both humor and seriousness. 

10. Compromise

Your marriage can grow stale soon if you often argue or fight with your spouse even over trivial matters. Keep in mind that shouting and tantrums will not help at all, and all problems can be resolved in a calm way. Therefore, every time there’s an argument between you and your spouse, make a conscious effort to calm yourself down. If it is just a small issue that you think is not worth talking about, then you can simply make a small concession by compromising with your husband or wife.  

These are the ten nonverbal ways that you can do to improve your marriage. Just always remember that marriage or love is not just about better mutual communication but also about mutual connection. We hope these tips will be able to help you improve your marriage. If you want to read more about marriage improvement, you can also check out our post on Blog Sites and Resources for Marriage Improvement