Relationship counter: how long have you been together?

A game, and a pretext: couples who celebrate their dates — not only the wedding, but the meeting, the first kiss, moving in — report being more satisfied than others in surveys, not because the date matters, but because the ritual forces a pause to look at the road travelled. The counter gives numbers; it is up to you to decide which ones deserve a dinner.

Further reading

• Wedding anniversaries — the full list, and how to celebrate without overdoing it.
• Making it last — what wears a couple down, and the three habits that change something.
• Small gestures and symbols — the little things that stand in for big speeches.