Expressing gratitude helps bring us closer to our partner. Among relationship-promoting behaviors, the role of gratitude has some of the strongest scientific evidence behind it, said Sara Algoe, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Love Consortium, an organization working to accelerate the scientific understanding of human connection.
Gratitude can be as small as a thank you when your partner brings you coffee or a grander gesture such as flowers or a gift.