Women need to stop nagging and men need to open up more to avoid relationships blowing up, a relationship therapist says in a new book.
More than 8000 New Zealand marriages end in divorce annually - a figure author and therapist Leanne French said could be reduced if women and men took greater responsibility for their own love stories.
French, whose book on the subject is titled Fairytale Love: How to Love Happily Ever After, said some couples could "transform their difficulties" simply by changing their attitudes.
"By being more grateful and noticing goodness and affirming and praising and looking at what is good with what they've got rather than focusing on everything that isn't working - that can actually change the other partner's behaviour."
Unless there were issues around abuse, control or addiction, most problems could be overcome with a "creative solution", French said.