Most relationships start out the same way. It's exciting, it's amorous, and you're sailing smoothly through your honeymoon period. In these stages, couples tend to be understanding, compromise, and are a lot kinder than when this period is over.

Once you're back in reality you may find that your partner's habits which you thought were oh-so adorable actually irk you. You'll also start to become a little selfish, by no fault of your own, and you'll begin to notice the differences. Some couples make it through, while some part and move on.

So how can you tell if you'll be happy with someone for the long-haul? Here are some gems of wisdom from psychologist and speaker Dr. Mark Goulston:

1. You go to sleep at the same time every night.
Happy couples go to bed at the same time, even if one partner wakes up later to do things while the other sleeps. When their skins touch it causes each of them to tingle and feel sexually excited, unless one or both are completely exhausted.


2. Cultivate common interests.
After the passion simmers, many couples begin to realize they have few interests in common. But if you don't have common interests, develop them together. At the same time, cultivate your own interests - this will make you more interesting to your partner and prevent you from being clingy and dependent. Shared interests can be anything from exercise, to sports, to enjoying movies or music together. It could even be food!


3. Hold hands when you walk, or walk side by side.
Instead of one partner walking ahead of the other, happy couples walk hand in hand or side by side. They know it's more important to be with their partner than to selfishly take in the sights along the way on their own.


4. Trust and forgive each other easily.
Happy couples trust and forgive each other after having an argument or disagreement, instead of being distrusting and begrudging.


5. Focus on what your partner does right than what he or she does wrong.
If you're always looking to fault your partner for something, you'll always find something they've done wrong. But if you keep looking for what he or she does right, you'll see that they're great too. It really depends on what you want to look for. Happy couples highlight the positive traits of each other.


6. You hug each other as soon as you see each other after work.
Our skin has a memory of “good touch” (loved), “bad touch” (abused) and “no touch” (neglected). Couples who say hello with a hug keep their skin soaked in the “good touch,” which can inoculate your spirit against anonymity in the world.


7. Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” every morning.
Before each day begins, saying these are the simplest ways to arm each other with patience and tolerance for the traffic jams, long lines, and other annoyances that may occur throughout the day.


8. Say “Good night” every night, regardless of how you feel.
Saying this regardless of how upset you are with your partner shows you still want to be in the relationship, and that what you and your partner have is more important than the petty issue you were arguing about earlier.


9. Call each other during the day.
You don't have to call every hour, just once a day to see how his or her day is going. This keeps you connected, and gives you a better expectation of how your partner's mood will be after work. For example, if your partner is having a bad day, you wouldn't expect him or her to be enthusiastic about something good that happened to you.


10. You're proud to be seen with your partner.
Happy couples love to be seen together, and are often affectionate to each other. While you're not showing off that you have a partner, you're both just generally comfortable with a little PDA.