This is the happiest stage in your marriage, new study discovers

Is there such a thing as ‘peak happiness’ in your marriage? According to a new study titled “Marital Instability Over the Life Course”, how happy you and your partner are in your marriage fluctuates during different points in your relationship – but fret not, it’s not all bad news.

IT STARTS OUT A LITTLE ROUGH

The study discovered that happiness tends to fluctuate, and even decline, during the first 20 years of marriage. However, once you reach and past the 20-year mark, things start to actually look up.

The research, which examined long-term trends linked to marital happiness, shared couple activities and disagreements, found that happiness gradually decreases during a couple’s first 20 years of marriage. Disagreements tend to be more prevalent during this period, and it was also (surprisingly) observed that spouses did fewer activities together, as compared to the later years of the marriage.

… BUT IT GETS BETTER

However, things start to stabilize and look up once couples hit their 20th-year mark. For one, they begin to do more activities together at this point, and disagreements also gradually decline over time.

“Our results suggest that marriages that remain together show little evidence of deterioration in relationship quality over the marital life course,” according to researchers Paul R. Amato and Spencer L. James.

Certainly, this study proves that while marriage is challenging, sticking it out through the tough early years may prove to be rewarding in the long run. And whoever said things get stale the longer you’re married?

Sarah Khan

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