“Couples who have more couple friends are happier in their own relationships and more likely to stay together, research shows. Hanging out with another couple can help you see your partner in a new light.

It gets tougher to make friends as we get older. We have less time to get together. We no longer have a ready-made pool of potential friends as we did when we were at school. We’re more inhibited, too.

Here’s some advice to help you find the right couple friends:

• Confer with your partner. Do you both want new couple friends? It’s important to be on the same page

• Put yourself out there. Be brave and host a dinner party or invite another couple out to dinner. “Food always helps build relationships,” Slatcher says. 

• Ask questions and share. Research shows that couples who discuss personal issues bond more closely than couples who stick to small talk. Carry your part of the conversation. Don’t let others do all the work.

• That can be annoying to your partner and intimidating to the other couple, who may worry what you’re thinking. Let the other couple get to know you. Don’t hog the limelight, either. (Extraverts, I’m talking to you.) “One-sided relationships are usually ultimately doomed,” Slatcher says. So let everyone have a chance to shine.”

From “”Couples Who Have Couples as Friends — How to Mett New Couples.” Wall Street Journal (August 18, 2023).