What is the secret of a happy marriage

Marriage makes people significantly happier than when they are single, but only if it is voluntary and not forced. This was recently established by experts from the Canadian National Bureau of Economic Research.

According to them, what makes spouses happy is not so much love or sexual relations as friendship between them. The claims of the experts are based on the available statistics.

Those who are married or cohabiting are happier than those living alone.

The scientists analyzed data obtained as a result of larger studies conducted earlier. They were interested in how happy the participants felt before marriage, after entering into a marital relationship, and even after divorce or the death of one of the spouses.

It turned out that, in general, people who got married were happier than those who lived alone all the time.

It did not matter if the marriage was officially concluded or if it was just cohabitation. The difference in the “level of happiness” between those living alone and those with partners was very significant – 75%.

According to psychologists, marriage unions are often concluded out of love or passion, but it is also possible that they are arranged at an expense. But over time, the strength of feelings weakens, giving way to friendly attachment.

Maybe you don’t get chills when you see your partner anymore, but you certainly feel all the benefits of living with them. Also, partner support helps in stressful situations. With him, you can consult about your things, share the care of the children, and you will also have the opportunity to leave them to his relatives.

Those without a partner are often forced to deal with such problems alone, which makes them feel much worse than if they had someone by their side.

Some have to pay for the provision of services related to the household, because in the absence of a partner they are unable to cope with the housework, and even less time to take care of their children or for a pet.

Sometimes it is not even important that the partner is able to support you materially, his physical capabilities are enough – the very fact of support is also important.

A happy marriage turns into friendship

Even if your relationship was not initially based on love or sexual attraction, it can gradually become friendly. In fact, those spouses and partners who managed to become good friends over the years felt much happier – approximately twice as much as the other participants.

But what about those whose marriages have ended?

Those whose spouses and partners have died retain the happy memories of the years they spent together. And those whose marriages broke up also had positive memories of their past married life.

Because, as a rule, when we enter into a relationship with a person, we always see his qualities and positive sides. And even if the relationship subsequently deteriorates, for a while we feel joy and satisfaction from having a close person by our side.

The truth is that among the people who did not enter into marriage or long-term relationships, there were also lucky ones. And these were those who had very close friends.
Researchers suggest that happiness is not the status of the relationship – such as marriage, cohabitation or friendship, but the relationship itself.