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The Gottman Card Deck App is a mobile app created by The Gottman Institute to help improve relationships with conversation starters, date night ideas, sexy activities, and more. My boyfriend and I are working through the app to see how it improves our own relationship. This is the Gottman Mobile App Challenge.
Read John Gottman’s best-selling book: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert
I really love talking. I think it’s the best way to get to know someone and yourself. But it can be really hard sometimes. Once you get through the customary small talk and catching up at the beginning of a conversation, there’s usually a lull and the participating parties grab their phones to fill the silence. It happens with your romantic partner, friends, coworkers, family.
That’s why I love activities that force conversation. It sounds a little harsh, but it’s sometimes the only way to get the conversation going.
The second card deck in the Gottman app is: Open-Ended Questions. I sat down with my boyfriend Bosch the other day to ask some questions about each other over dinner. Here’s an example of some of the questions the app suggests:
- What adventures would you like to have before you die?
- What is one way you would like to change?
- What do you find exciting in life right now?
The app makes it fun by randomly suggesting questions (with a little shake of the phone) that you and your partner, romantic or not, have to answer. The great thing about this particular deck is that it doesn’t have to be used with your significant other. These questions would be a great conversation starter for a girls’ night, book club, Friendsgiving, family gathering, or one-on-one hangout with an old friend.
Trying out this deck with my boyfriend was eye-opening, and not surprisingly, I learned some things I never knew about him, despite having known him since we were 16 years old.
Sometimes these conversations don’t naturally spark on their own, and that’s okay. Sometimes you prefer to spend your time in silence with your partner, and that’s okay too. Whatever makes the two of you happy is a beautiful thing. But if you’re craving a bit more conversation and don’t know where to start, the Gottman Card Decks app is a fantastic resource for relationships.
It’s great that this app is helping couples have more conversations!
Oh my gosh I really like this! I moved out of state for work earlier this year, and all of my family and best friends are far from home, so I rely on Facetime and texting to stay in touch. Sometimes it’s hard to dig deep and find new things to talk about, so I love this idea!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
So true! It’s a fantastic way to keep that connection strong.
I love the idea of having an app that will help spark conversations! Holding a conversation with someone you’ve never met before can sometimes be difficult, so this is totally a game changer!
That’s so true. That’s why it’s great for get togethers with friends to get everyone talking and getting to know each other.
This like this app would be a great thing to try!
This is really fun! I might download it for a date night for my husband and me! Answering questions like these are always good for the relationships!
That’s a great idea! It’s perfect for date night.
What a fun idea! A restaurant my boyfriend & I go to has little conversation cards on the table that are always so fun!
-Nicholle
http://www.nichollesophia.com
That is SUCH a great idea. If I ever start a restaurant, I’m definitely going to do that 😊
This app sounds so cool! I’m definitely getting it right now. Thanks for sharing your experience with it.
That’s amazing, Mckenna. Let me know what you think!
This app sounds great. I really need to try it out!
xoxo, Paige
This is such a fun tool! I have never heard of this before.
-xo, Azanique | http://www.lotsofsass.com
Sounds like such an awesome app for both new couples and established couples!
This app sounds so cool! I’ve definitely experienced that lull in conversations that you’re talking about. This would be a great tool to utilize during those times!
This sounds like such a cool app! I need to give it a try with my boyfriend 🙂
this seems like a great app! Because i love totalk but never know what to say sometimes..
This app sounds great! I’d definitely like to check it out.
I’m glad you think so, Carly! Let me know what you think.