According to a team of researchers from Pennsylvania State and Brigham Young University, married couples reached their happiest point at the 20-year mark. For the study, scientists looked at relationship satisfaction in 2,034 marriages with an average age of 35-37.
The marriage happiness premium extends to nearly every aspect of a couple's relationship, with one notable exception: their sex lives. Social scientists have known for some time that married people tend to be happier than their single counterparts.
They concluded that there are four distinct couples categories. "The four types of dating couples that were found included the dramatic couple, the conflict-ridden couple, the socially involved couple, and the partner-focused couple," said Brian Ogolsky, an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies.
You need the 4 C's: Communication, Collaboration, Consideration, and Compatibility. Yet as with many things that are simple, they're not always easy! Let's look at how they work to help build a relationship.
Deepak Chopra's Three “A”s. Why Attention, Appreciation and Affection are so important in a loving relationship. Neuroscience shows positive outcomes for couples.
Those who married in their mid-20s or later, however, were found to have better well-being later in life. The study also found that those who married later in life were less depressed.
Marriage has long been flouted as a health booster to couples, with those who tie the knot more likely to live longer and have fewer emotional problems. But a happiness expert has now suggested that it's men, rather than women, who benefit most from walking down the aisle.
The death rate was 1,735 per 100,000 for lifelong bachelors and 1,773 for divorced men. Married women had a death rate of 569 per 100,000, two-and-a-half times lower than the 1,482 rate for widows.
The likelihood of a breakup jumps down as the second and again the third years of a relationship pass. But the fourth year of a couple's life is just as likely as the third to end in departure. It's only after a couple reaches the 5th year of their relationship that the likelihood of break up falls sharply.
According to relationship therapist Aimee Hartstein, LCSW, as it turns out, the first year really is the hardest—even if you've already lived together. In fact, it often doesn't matter if you've been together for multiple years, the start of married life is still tricky.
Stage 2: Discovery
The first year of the relationship is the hardest stage, and even when you're living together, you still discover new things about each other every day.
Unselfish love, authentic communication, trust and a recognition of triggers from the past are also components of successful relationships. Acknowledging behaviors that are already a part of one's relationship can help a couple embrace others that they may want to attain.
They share power and control and are a partnership between equals. They meet one another's needs for security, support, affection and love. Partners feel safe and sheltered – mind, body and spirit. They both take responsibility for their part in problems and solutions: no blaming, avoiding or stonewalling.
A study led by the American Sociological Association determined that nearly 70% of divorces are initiated by women. And the percentage of college-educated American women who initiated divorce is even higher.
A similar mixed pattern is observed for the gender difference in trustworthiness. Some studies have found that women are more trustworthy than men (Croson and Buchan 1999; Chaudhuri and Gangadharan 2007; Schwieren and Sutter 2008).
Research has suggested that women express emotions more frequently than men on average. Multiple researchers have found that women cry more frequently, and for longer durations than men at similar ages. The gender differences appear to peak in the most fertile years.
For men, early was defined as marrying before the age of 26 (29 percent), on time was between the ages of 27 and 30 (38 percent), and late if they married after 30 (33 percent). Results showed that people who married on time or late were least likely to report depressive symptoms in midlife.
Research has shown that the "marriage benefits"—the increases in health, wealth, and happiness that are often associated with the status—go disproportionately to men. Married men are better off than single men. Married women, on the other hand, are not better off than unmarried women.
According to an American study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, happy couples live longer than couples who argue regularly.
The 80/20 relationship theory states that you can only get about 80% of your wants and needs from a healthy relationship, while the remaining 20% you need to provide for yourself. Sounds like the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a spa day. This idea of an 80/20 time split is nothing new.
A strong and healthy relationship is built on the three C's: Communication, Compromise and Commitment. Think about how to use communication to make your partner feel needed, desired and appreciated.
'" If that doesn't work, Steve suggests appealing to the "three Ps" -- profess, provide and protect. "If you don't say to your man: 'Okay, look, next time she calls, do not leave us in the middle of the night. We're unprotected,'" he says.