Most adults find the time to have regular dental checkups. So why do so few employ the same planned care and maintenance for their marriages?

James V. Córdova, associate professor of psychology and director of Clinical Training and The Marriage Checkup Project at Clark University, answered this question and many others during a live interview with CNN Newsroom anchor Fredricka Whitfield, focusing on Córdova’s most recent book, “The Marriage Checkup.”

During the eight-minute interview conducted on Saturday, July 10, live from the CNN studio in Brookline (MA), Córdova spoke about healthy partner relationships, answering Whitfield’s questions and providing expert advice and tools. “Our marriages are a health system, so they deserve the same level of care,” Córdova said.

“People are doing their level best” to maintain marital satisfaction and harmony, Córdova said, adding that research shows that a healthy, happy marriage is still something people care deeply about. “Marriages matter.”

Córdova directs the Center for Couples and Family Research at Clark, a team clinical research effort consisting of faculty, doctoral and undergraduate students. The Center’s goal is to produce cutting-edge research on intimate relationships and on the development of focused interventions to promote relationship and marital health.