STUDY: Couples Are Happiest After Three Years of Marriage

Apparently that's when growing pains and money fights go into a temporary lull.

Stockbyte

Stockbyte

The British have really been teaching us a lot about marriage recently, huh?

Right on the heels of them so helpfully educating us on the specific point in life at which men give up on what they look like, they are here to pass along another interesting tidbit on the progression of marriage: Apparently, the third year of marriage is going to be your happiest!

Although I still think that sounds like a sad case of peaking early (like, seriously? It’s all downhill after three?), the reasoning does make sense: After three years, says the study (which was done by family law specialists at Slater & Gordon), couples, basically have a) gotten used to each other, b) have accepted that their finances will be forever more tied to another person’s, and c) started talking about having babies, which frequently puts people in a good mood. Also at this point, couples are usually living large off of two salaries, which, you know, helps.

By the fifth year, though, reality starts to set in: Kids! Homeownership! Responsibility! Exhaustion! Painful workloads! The good news, though, is that if you can make it through the fifth year and coast past the seventh—because, apparently, there really is such a thing as the Seven Year Itch?—you guys stand a pretty good chance of going all the way.

Well I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty curious to see what these Brits churn out next that will shed even more light on this whole marriage thing you all are headed into. We’ll be sure to keep you posted.

In the meantime, look forward to that third anniversary! It’s gonna be a goody.

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