Marriage Won’t Make You Any Happier Than Just Living Together [Study]
While various studies have claimed that married people live longer and enjoy happier lives a new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family has found that there is no effects in psychological well-being, health or social ties when compared to unmarried couples who live together.
The study also found that while some benefits may be experienced during the “honeymoon” period those positive effects reduce over time.
Dr Kelly Musick, Associate Professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology told ScienceDaily:
“Marriage has long been an important social institution, but in recent decades western societies have experienced increases in cohabitation, before or instead of marriage, and increases in children born outside of marriage,” and “These changes have blurred the boundaries of marriage, leading to questions about what difference marriage makes in comparison to alternatives.”
While study’s in the past have focused on married couples compared to single people this most recent study instead compared marriage to cohabitation by examining the changes that occurred when single men and single women married after a period of cohabitation.
The study focused on questions about levels of depression, health, social times and general happiness and included 2,737 single men and women.
The study did find that the same negative effects exist in both cohabitation and marriage including less contact with friends and family compared to single people.
Do you believe that marriage offers a better psychological outcome then simple cohabitation or is a relationship and the feelings of the people in that relationship whatever they choose to make of it regardless of marital status?
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