Study: Marriage Makes People Happy
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The National Bureau of Economic Research would like everyone to know that there are lots of good reasons to get married—and stay married—these days, and they have outlined those in a new paper discussing the results of their recent study.
The New York Times breaks it all down, and as for as the study’s conclusions go, they can basically be summed up like this:
- Married people tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives.
- This is especially true during times like midlife crises.
- These days, marriages tend to be much more common among those of high education and income than of low, and they divorce at much lower rates.
- Marriage is especially beneficial to those who have a stressful or otherwise difficult life.
- Those who consider their spouse to be their best friend report levels of marital satisfaction twice as high as those who don’t, especially during middle age.
- Women are less likely to say that their spouse is their best friend—and yet they get more out of being married to someone they consider their best friend than men do.
- The idea that a spouse is very much a companion and confidant is more common these days than it used to be, as the roles that men and women play in a marriage become more similar.
In short, there lies in marriage a strong opportunity to live a very happy life. Which is, we’re guessing, something you’ve chosen to believe already.
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