This Is What Goes Into Making A Happy Marriage, According To Research
Most people have heard the saying, “Happy wife, happy life.” But what exactly makes some wives more joyful than others?
According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia, the Wheatley Institute at BYU, and the Institute for Family Studies, there are four main factors.
The team used data from the 2022 State of Our Unions Survey (SOU22), which was collected by YouGov in September 2022 and included responses from 2,000 married men and women between the ages of 18 and 55 in the United States.
First, they analyzed participants’ overall marital happiness and divided them into two groups: one deemed “very happily” married versus those who were not.
A scale of one to seven was used to measure marital happiness in the SOU22 survey. Anyone who rated their happiness as a five, six, or seven was placed in the “very happily” married group, which wound up containing 73% of participants.
Next, the team used logistic regression to see how 11 factors related to marriage might predict being in the “very happily” married group.
They ranged from pooling finances and frequently going on date nights to feeling that marriage is “for life” and a matter of “we before me.”
This revealed that just four factors were considered statistically significant: having a high marital commitment, feeling that your spouse is protective, attending religious services together, and having regular date nights.
It’s perhaps not surprising that commitment ranked among the top four. The survey showed that wives who considered their relationship with their husband to be a top priority were 400% more likely to feel deeply happy in their marriage compared to those who didn’t express the same level of commitment.
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Jason Carrol, the study’s co-author, and Wheatley Institute’s Family Initiative Director, pointed out how commitment has long been a cornerstone of healthy marriages.
However, he noted, “It may be even more significant for couples today where they are surrounded by social media and cultural trends that often encourage spouses to turn their attention toward careers, friends, and technology.”
Wives also seemed “markedly happier” when their husbands made them feel physically safe.” In fact, those who believed their husbands were protective were actually 137% more likely to be very happy in their marriage.
The remaining two factors, regular joint religious worship service attendance and frequent date nights had notable impacts on marital joy, too.
Wives who regularly attended church with their husbands were 112% more likely to be very happy in their marriage.
Husbands actually shared this sentiment as well, with church attendance being linked to a 212% higher likelihood of marriage happiness.
Finally, the results confirmed that married couples who prioritize date nights are much more likely to be satisfied in their relationship.
Wives who frequently went on date nights were 56% more likely to be very happy; meanwhile, husbands who did the same had a 114% higher likelihood of marital bliss.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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