Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking the Secrets to Life, Love and Marriage

by Mark Gungor

Based on Mark Gungor's wildly popular seminar, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage® builds on Gungor's success with tens of thousands of couples who credit him with enriching, and even saving, their marriages. By using his unique blend of humor and tell-it-like-it-is honesty, he helps couples get along and have fun doing it. Through exploring a variety of subjects including the myth of a "soul mate," the different ways men and women think, the conflicting levels of libido, and the necessity to forgive, Gungor proves that the key to marital bliss is not romance or destiny -- it's work and skill. Couples need to work hard at maintaining their relationship and to have the skills to pull it off. The longer spouses wait to learn these skills, the greater their chance of wanting to bail, yet Gungor makes it easy for couples to bring their relationship to the next level.

Genres: Marriage, Nonfiction, Christian, Relationships, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Vikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I watched some of his talks on YouTube and found them humorous and slightly helpful in understanding how my husband thinks. I thought the book would be the same but I found it very sexist. Could not finish.

[Lindsay Pierce · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are humorous stories and connections to the bible that I really enjoyed but the overall tone adheres to very traditional and sexist ideas of "men think like this" and "women think like that". It's the same old trope again and again, doesn't add anything new to the abundance of sexist literature out there. If he was able to break from convention and encompass a more holistic stance on human behavior and interaction, I think he would have a very successful and humorous message. As it stands, I find it only reinforces really toxic ideas about how men and women "operate" or implies that they "should" operate in such a way. Would not recommend.

[ptagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagyon vártam, hogy olvashassam, és kitörölhessem a témában íródott másik könyv rossz emlékét.
Jelentem: sikerült! :)

Eddigi női-férfi témában olvasott könyveimmel az volt a bajom, hogy olyan kikristályosított elméletekkel operáltak, amibe sehogy sem sikerült magam belepasszíroznom. Többször kellett megállapítanom magamról, hogy feltehetően nem vagyok nő, a férjem pedig nem férfi. Nos ennél a könyvnél nem volt ez az érzésem, sőt!
Sok aha-élményt adott az olvasás, olyan gyakorlati nézőpontokat, amelyeket valódi segítségként tudnak működni a hétköznapokban, egymás megértésében.

Ahogy @csucsorka is említette, a szexualitással kapcsolatos fejezet volt a könyv gyenge pontja, ami csak azért kár, mert arányaiban viszont erről beszél legtöbbet (76 oldal a 302-ből!). Egyfelől értem ezt az arány-eltolódást, de nem értek egyet vele egészen.

Házasság előtt és alatt, de után is tartogat érdekes gondolatokat, mindenképpen hasznos olvasmány!

[Kerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I borrowed this after watching the you tube video on male and female brains which was quite funny. I went in knowing he was a pastor so expecting some religious talk, but hoping the laughs would out weigh that. Nope, just felt like reading one long sermon, the title is extremely misleading, disappointed.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome! I learned a lot from it the first time I read it. Vowed to read it again when I was married and that's exactly what I did.

[Dawn Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book! After you read the book attend the seminar! Mark Gungor is awesome in the marriage field. It was funny and amazingly correct in the way men and women think. Great book!

[Jessica Klausing · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were truly some really good points in this book, and even some humor that I laughed at. However the over generalizations, the crude humor, the inflated ego, and the alpha male tendencies of the author were hard to separate from what WAS good in this book.

However I do believe that it can be helpful for some. It HAS been helpful for some. Just not me at this time

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody does marriage perfectly. Learn to forgive!

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in a dreamland where happily ever after seems to be the goal of marriage. But in reality, marriage is not a fairytale come true - it involves a great deal of work and understanding about the physics of marriage. In this new book, based on his popular marriage seminars, Mark Gungor addresses marriage in an extremely straightforward, yet entertaining manner that will cause readers to think.

After thirty years of speaking on this subject, Gungor knows that one of the main problems is that we don't understand what true love really means. 'People think that if a marriage is meant to be, it will just be. But marriage is like an ox. It's a great, productive thing. But if you are going to have an ox, then you're going to have ox poo. There's no such thing as a poo-free marriage. The problem is, many don't expect to find any poo at all in their marriage, and when they encounter stuff that stinks, they see it as a sign that they married the wrong person.'

In Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, Gungor addresses marriage physics, the laws that govern the marriage relationship. He covers interesting laws such as: Men and Women Are NOT Created Equal, Men and Women Think Differently, Men and Women Communicate Differently, Men and Women Want Different Things, Women are Givers; Men are Takers, The Law of Desire, and The Law of Love. He also spends quite a bit of time discussing sex, fighting, myths, and idols.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage isn't an excessively humorous book as its title might imply. It isn't about igniting the humor in your marriage. What this book is, is a very insightful analysis of marriage and how our mental picture and ideas about this important relationship are many times based on faulty beliefs and dreams about how it should be. The author uses humor, as evidenced by the above quote, to get his points across.

Even those who have been to multiple marriage seminars or have read countless books on the subject will learn something. Gungor is a pastor, so this book does come from a Christian worldview and ideals. He isn't preaching though, so even someone who doesn't have the same spiritual beliefs as the author would pick up helpful hints about the opposite sex. If you are interested in discovering what might be missing from your marriage relationship, or you know someone who is about to get married, this is a valuable resource to read, keep on your shelf, and refer back to from time to time.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good marital relation advice; clarifying what the Bible actually says vs. what many have projected into it. I also appreciated the insights into the male psyche. I knew about some of the male tendencies, but was gratified to receive further clarification. He was likely right that more women would read this than men, which is too bad because there are many traits listed about women that men should know as well. Ladies, following M Gugor's advice, we can either ask our husbands to read the book and continue to ask him to read the book until he reads the book (because we've learned that we have to ask men to do things more than once if we want them to do it - even though we're incensed by the idea of having to ask more than once) or we can present the Cliff Notes to our husbands in bits and pieces where they don't have to read it, but will still get the gist of it. Good stuff for both spouses.

[Jen Purdom stumbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his approach to understanding the opposite sexes brain. We also went to one of his seminars and that also really puts it right out in front of you and he helps break down what we should focus on to have a happy marriage. He also helps you figure out your personality type and your spouses type too. Because some types need to hear certain things and hate hearing other things and also tend to say certain things. While others do the opposites and then those two..attract. So when you know how to word things to get better receptiveness and responses from your spouses it really opens up communication completely. This is an essential for newly weds and any married couple needing to work on their communication (everyone in a relationship)!!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me years ago by my dear aunt who felt it would give me great advice for how to deal with people in general, as I was nowhere close to being married myself. Now that I'm engaged, I picked it up as a way to take that great advice to heart in my most important earthly relationship as we prepare to get married. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found the advice very helpful and encouraging. I know many people will balk at the "unpopular" opinions he has, but how many of those people have marriages as successful as the examples he shows in his book, I would ask. I know I'm willing to put these principles to the test and pray to benefit from the results.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book gets a little preachy, especially toward the end, and it does include some stereotypes that don't hold in every case, I feel like I learned a lot useful things about relationships and the way people think. The author is pretty entertaining in his discussion. What I really liked best, though, is learning some general ideas about the differences in the ways men and women think, see, etc. And, as the author says, even if nothing else changes, by learning something, your attitude changes and so something has indeed changed.

[Rambling Reviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some sound and useful ideas and insight, but a lot of the psychology is nothing new to me having read more specifically on this topic, and I had already attended the seminar (a lot of the book is verbatim content). I do find it irritating to purchase 'further reading' when it's... not.

Aaaand some of his theology is .... questionable at best. A bit eisegetic. I find him to be quite a problematic presenter, and his attitude to women incredibly derogatory.

I wouldn't generally recommend Gungor based on the above, but this was ok as a bit of a refresher course.

[Erika Krasinskė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santuokoje ir nebūtinai gyvenantiems - svarbu žinoti faktus, kurie išdėstyti knygoje.

[Akvile · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good bits, but the author talks too much about God which gets quite tedious if you're not religious. The book teaches more about the God's love than about the relationship.

[John Rossitto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from a Christian perspective, I have found this to be one of the most refreshing books on marriage relationships available. It is an easy and entertaining read. One simple concept that he offers is to understand the opposite sexes perspective and work with it rather then against it and make it into something the person hasn't been wired to be. Why try to make a lab retriever into a shepard? I was cheering his comments on asking the man to do something if necessary multiple times. Or some times if he doesn't do it when you want it done then do it yourself or pay to have it done. His comments on how the guy should treat his wife were truly great and things I look forward to incorporating or improve. One picture he painted was in regards to the view of waiting for sex prior to marriage and when coming to take ones vows, having the support of family, friends and the community. What better definition of community? Great book. Will be giving to my son in laws who already are good husbands.

[Inga Narijauskienė]

Gal per daug liaupsių girdėjau, kad perskaičius knygą ja nusivyliau. Neradau sau nieko naujo, nieko labai išmintingo. Tikrai, yra gerų minčių, bet jos man jau buvo žinomos, tačiau čia radau ir tokių minčių, kurioms visai nepritariu.

Įstrigo mintis apie atlaidumą:

"Kai kas nors mus įskaudina, mes trokštame, kad jis sumokėtų už tai, ką padarė. Dažniausiai keršijame atsisakydami atleisti tam žmogui. Tačiau neatlaidumas tik žeidžia tą, kuris negali atleisti. Nemokėti atleisti - tai tarsi gerti nuodus, viliantis, kad mirs kitas žmogus."

Ir dar kelios:

"Atlaidumas yra maksimalaus perkrovimo mygtukas."

"Visi darome klaidų. Visi prinešame purvo, kurį reikia išvalyti. Atlaidumas neleidžia jums kurti ateities ant praeities klaidų. Atlaidumas yra tas gyvybiškai svarbus perkrovimo mygtukas, be kurio nė viena santuoka nebus sėkminga."

"Norite, kad jūsų santuoka būtų laiminga? Nebijokite ištarti šios paprastos frazės: 'Brangusis / brangioji, aš atsiprašau..."

[Eszter Beáta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I laughed a lot, but he's right, the man and woman are very different, and it is very useful to understand better the other person, how he or she is thinking. I recommend this book to everyone who is in relationship or in marriage. It will help you a lot.

Szerettem ezt a könyvet, rengeteget nevettem, de igaza van, a férfi és a nú nagyon különböző, és nagyon hasznos megérteni a másik személyt, hogy hogyan gondolkodik. Javaslom ezt a könyvet mindenkinek, aki párkapcsolatban van vagy házasságban. Sokat fog segíteni.

[Ramu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knyga padeda geriau suprasti tiek save, tiek sutuoktinį. O kai supranti KODĖL taip elgiamės, tada lengviau ir priimti :)

Patiko, kad buvo pateikiamos ištraukos iš Biblijos, kurios buvo paaiškintos autoriaus (autorius - pastorius, kuris jau daug metų yra vedęs ir gyvena santuokoje)

Manau, kad ši knyga gali nepatikti tiems, kurie nepripažįsta lyčių skirtumų, arba yra labiau panašesni į priešingą lytį, nes visgi knygoj kalbama, kad vyrams būdingi vieni dalykai, moterims - kiti. Bet visi esame skirtingi!

[Dylan Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a relationship that was perfect. I love the girl I was with more than anything. I would have never quit on our relationship or her. This book taught me that a relationship truly does take two people(and higher powers). She just didn't love me, and that's ok. This book also teaches to forgive, and that means to let go. A lot of great lessons are in this book, and they could change the way you think about relationships, even if you aren't included in the generalizations made.

[Adolfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a must read for anyone looking to improve his/her marriage, it has given me great gospel centered insight, and best of all it had me laughing while reading. I will admit it did touched on some sensitive subjects on my life which were kind of hard to swallow but it caused greater introspection, realization, and a healthier outlook on my marriage.

[Andreas Piontek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Habe es nicht komplett gelesen. Ein paar nette Ansätze aber im Grunde sehr viel Schubladendenken (Männer sind so, Frauen sind so). Auch wenn der Autor darauf hinweist, dass es ihm bewusst ist, dass er die vereinfachenden Schubladen nutzt und damit überzeichnet, konnte ich es nicht zu Ende lesen.
Und es ist mir eine Tick zu sehr auf das Christentum Bezug nehmend.

[Haylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really helpful for understanding how my spouse thinks. It is very generally written but that didn’t bother me too much because if a generalization didn’t apply to me or my spouse, we just moved on. We definitely didn’t agree with everything that was written and that’s okay. I think it was worth the read to take some things away to apply to our marriage and make it better.

[Lydia Greear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great resource for those who are married or thinking about marriage. His approach to the realities of husband and wife relationships through humor will educate you and make you laugh at yourself. Accepting these truths may change your course of marriage to a positive adventure!

[Jena Hemsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it comes in a light and fun format, this book definitely tackles some important issues that come with a relationship. I have applied a few of the lessons I learned after reading it, and some aspects of my relationship have improved considerably.

[Viktorija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tikrai radau porą neblogų patarimų, tačiau yra daug vertingesnių ir puikesnių knygų santykių tema. Buvo skyrių, kuriuos tiesiog praleidau, nes niekaip negalėjau suprasti ir pritarti autoriaus požiūriui. Daug ir dažnai minimas dievas, cituojama biblija ir šventi raštai, kas šiek tiek erzino.

[Honza Jaroš · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has great content. Explained the real difference between man and women and how to have better relationships and marriages.

I knew that the book is religiously aimed, so as an atheist I went through anyway, so that was difficult reading for me. However, reading principles was worth it.

[Orsi Nagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

at some points I thought I wouldn't finish it ever. then, it turned out to be pretty accurate and spot-on.

[Katarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book because my husband's chaplain gave it to him for some reading before our wedding. If there's a book around, I'll read it. The chapters on Marriage physics are worth a read, as are some of the chapters towards the end about fighting fair. In the remaining chapters, you're definitely reminded you're reading something written by a Christian. Depending how you feel about that, either you'll be able to get beyond the religious aspect or you won't.