In issue 11 of One Daily Nugget, we introduced the topic of how to build and maintain great relationships with an inside look at psychologist John Gottman’s “Love Lab”. His conclusion, after years of rigorous research, was, we believe, both authoritative and practical. But we suspect that it did not exactly leave you stunned in surprise.

Today’s nugget takes a different tack and presents a much less conventional technique for improving your relationships. In what remains one of the most emailed New York Times articles ever, Amy Sutherland, in her quest to mend her husband’s forgetfulness, tardiness, and mercurial nature, finds inspiration in exotic animal trainers.

Read on to learn what happened next, get inspired to concoct a similar experiment of your own, and, most importantly, report back if it worked — we are dying to know! (Ideally, share your lessons with us on social media, as this will allow other readers to learn from your experience as well.)