Study Shows Those who are Idealistic About Their Spouses Have Happier Marriages

No one is perfect and if you expect your spouse to be then you have mentally created a recipe for disaster in your marriage. Every woman wants to marry price charming and every man would like to marry June Clever with Jennifer Aniston’s looks. The secret to a successful marriage is to an idealistic view of your spouse.

The Study

The study is published in the April issue of Psychological Science, Dr. Sandra Murray, a professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York recruited 222 couples as they applied for their marriage licenses in Buffalo, N.Y. They were, on average, about 27 years old, with family incomes of about $40,000 to $70,000 a year. One hundred and ninety three couples “finished at least three of the seven waves of evaluation, she said. (Eleven separated or divorced.) Participants completed surveys about themselves, their partners and their marriages every six months for three years.”

The Results

A less-than-ideal partner can be seen as a reflection of one's ideals predicted a certain level of immunity to the caustic effects of time. The couples who initially idealized their partner extremely experienced no declines in satisfaction in their partner. As long as both spouses have a positive attitude about their partner, they have likely to have a successful marriage and be very happy together.