Marriage, it can be a dream come true if you’re one of the lucky few to find the perfect partner. On the other hand, it can be a living nightmare if you end up with the wrong person.
Today we’ll look at 25 marriage facts and see if we can figure out what’s going on with marriage & divorce.
1. If the wife likes her marriage, her husband feels better about life. But the reverse is not true.
A new study from Rutgers University analyzing data from nearly 400 long-term married couples shows that a wife’s contentment in the marriage is the critical factor in a satisfying arrangement, more so than the husband’s.
To assess their state of happiness, individuals were asked how often the spouse got on their nerves, how often arguments occurred, how they felt doing chores, and whether they felt appreciated.
Overall, men felt slightly more happy in their marriages than women. A wife’s dissatisfaction spelled less contentment for her husband, though interestingly, the husband’s lack of contentment didn’t have the same impact on his spouse.
Deborah Carr, a professor in the Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Science, suggested this is because “when a wife is satisfied with the marriage she tends to do a lot more for her husband, which has a positive effect on his life.”
2. Wives become unhappy if their spouses become ill, but husbands not so much.
The same Rutgers study found that women’s contentment in their marriages dropped when their husbands got sick, but men’s attitudes didn’t seem to change when their wives fell ill. What gives?
Researcher Deborah Carr gives the answer: “We know that when a partner is sick it is the wife that often does the caregiving which can be a stressful experience….But often when a woman gets sick it is not her husband she relies on but her daughter.”
3. Short men tend to stay married, and compensate for their shortness by earning a higher relative share of income
According to researchers Abigail Weitzman and Dalton Conley of New York University, height has an impact on marriage. They found that tall men tend to marry more educated women, older women and women of the same race, but are more likely to divorce.
Among short men, however, the rate of divorce was significantly lower than among average and tall men. Men of shorter stature were also more likely to marry much younger women, and earn more than their spouses.
So what’s going on? The authors stated that their research “further confirms an existence of height-based status exchange in which short men compensate for their lower physical status with higher proportional earnings, while tall men appear more likely to use their status to attract women with higher relative earnings.”
4. A big wedding seems to boost the odds of a successful marriage
Psychology researchers from the University of Denver studied 418 people with a goal of finding elements that contributed to a successful marriage. Eleven percent of participants had no formal wedding ceremony, and of these, only 28 percent of the couples reported having a high-quality marriage.
On the other hand, 41 percent of couples that had formal weddings were happy in their marriages. The researchers opined that couples who were less happy or certain about being together might be less likely to want a big wedding, and they also noted that the decision to have a public ceremony symbolizes a commitment which may influence the mindset of couples.
According to the study, the bigger the wedding, the better the couples reported the marriage to be: 47 percent of couples that had 150 or more guests had good marriages, compared with only 31 percent of those who had 50 or fewer guests.
5. You may be genetically predisposed to cheat.
A study by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York has revealed that about half of us inherited a gene that makes us more likely to have one-night stands and to stray if we are in an ostensibly monogamous relationship.
The culprit? A little gene called DRD4. When you carry a variant of that gene, which is a dopamine receptor, you are more likely, according to researcher Justin Garcia, “to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity.”
That same gene appears to make us want to hit the bottle and the blackjack table. Dopamine is involved in the brain’s pleasure and reward system. In cases of uncommitted sex, the risks may be high but the rewards are high, too, which can produce a big ol’ dopamine rush.
The study may shed some light on why some people report feeling very much in love with and attached to their partners, yet still commit acts of infidelity.
6. Our marriage terms are outdated
The word “wife” is thought to come from the Proto-Indo-European root weip (“to turn, twist, wrap”) or ghwibh, which has a root meaning “shame” or “pudenda.”
The word “husband,” on the other hand, derives from the Old Norse husbondi or “master of the house.”
The word “spouse” seems to carry less baggage: it has its origins in the Latin word sponsus “bridegroom” (fem. sponsa “bride”), which comes from the term spondere,meaning “to bind oneself, promise solemnly.
“The term “marriage” comes from the Latin word mas meaning “male” or “masculine.” The earliest known use of the word in English dates from the 13th century.
7. The divorce rate in the United States is falling.
The reason for this is that young people are more selective in their partners and are waiting until at least their 30s to get married. This selectiveness, however, is not entirely good.
Many young individuals are waiting to settle down and get married because they don’t feel financially secure until later in their lives. The divorce rates are falling but so are the numbers of people getting married.
8. Cohabitation without marriage is on the rise.
There is a higher incidence of couples forgoing marriage altogether and cohabiting without getting married. Again, a lot of this has to do with younger adults feeling like they are not financially secure enough to settle down until later.
9. Marriage Obsolete?
A Pew Poll found in 2010 that over 35% of people now find marriage obsolete and outdated.
10. Men are more loyal
At least when homosexual marriage is observed. Lesbian couples are more likely than gay couples to get divorced.
11. Spending more equals more divorce
People spending $20,000 or more on a ring are three times more likely to get divorced. The same goes for extravagant weddings: the more you spend, the more likely you are to get divorced.
12. The seven year itch is real
The seven year itch, the statistic that couples are likely to break up around their seven-year anniversary, is a real thing. If you and your spouse make it past seven years, you are more likely to stay married.
13. Same isn’t lame
You are more likely to stay married if both partners are similar in education, age, and economic background.
14. Marry the cook?
The word “bride” apparently comes from an old English word; “bru” which means to cook.
15. Bridesmaids were guardians
Bridesmaids would traditionally be dressed in similar gowns to the bride in order to confuse rival suitors, evil spirits and robbers!
16. Can you marry a dead person?
The answer is yes, if you live in France. In France, it’s legal to marry a dead person! Yep! It is possible as long as evidence that the deceased had the intention of marrying you while alive
17. The longest marriage?
The longest recorded marriage currently stands at over 90 years!
18. What is the average Time Couples Spend Together?
This doesn’t sound right but apparently it is. With jobs, the kids, television, the internet, hobbies, home and family responsibilities the average married couple will only spend four minutes a day together!
19. Damn England
In 1576 in England, 10 year olds could get married!
20. That’s one way to get rid of him!
Until 1912 in the UK, If a woman committed a crime in the presence of her husband, he was legally considered to have pressured her into doing it.
21. Everyone likes good news
Celebrating and sharing your good news with your partner could lead to a better and happier relationship.
22. Of course!
Marriages are also said to be happier when you’re best friends, a study in 2014 found. When you develop a close relationship with your partner happiness levels increase!
23. Marriage = Happiness
A UK study found that couples said it was more important to their happiness to be married, than money or owning their own home.