Psychologist Reveals How Successful Couples Use New Year Moments to Stay Harmonious

Illustration of a couple celebrating the new year (Photo: Freepik/Freepik)

JAKARTA - New Year is often used as a moment of reflection and a fresh start, including for couples. According to a psychologist from New York, Sabrina Romanoff, couples whose relationships are healthy and long-lasting use the turn of the year to strengthen their emotional bond.

Romanoff explained that the end-of-year holiday is not only about celebration, but also an opportunity to build new traditions with your partner.

In addition, the new year is the right time to get closer to each other and talk about things that really matter in a relationship. Romanoff is also known as a relationship expert for the dating app Hily.

"New Year's Eve is a moment when we make a personal evaluation of our lives," Romanoff said, quoted from the CNBC Make It website on Thursday, January 1, 2026.

"About what we want in the future, and how our partner fits into that future picture," he continued.

According to Romanoff, there is one main thing that successful couples do to keep their relationship strong when entering the new year, namely having an important conversation.

This conversation consists of two parts. First, looking back at the journey of the relationship over the past year. The couple is invited to reflect on what went well and the moments that strengthened the relationship.

Romanoff suggests couples recall times when they were open and vulnerable with each other.

"Have you ever been completely honest with each other? Revealing something scary, that you may not have told anyone else?" he said.

Successful couples realize how they build closeness, then communicate it openly with each other.

The second part of this conversation is looking ahead. The couple discusses how they can make the relationship better in the coming year.

Romanoff said the key is to convey expectations not as criticism, but as a form of reinforcement. He suggested starting with appreciation, such as "I like it when you do this," or "I feel closest to you when you do that,"

At the end of the day, this conversation is not about finding fault, but rather about shared purpose.

"This is about each couple saying, 'this is how I want us to grow and develop together,'" Romanoff concluded.