Scientists reveal how long a marriage takes for two people to be happier

Scientists from the United States wondered how long it takes for a couple to understand each other and what is the moment in the relationship when two people feel happiest. For many years they have studied the development of relationships and the results are very interesting. Contrary to expectations, the great conclusion of the research is that the happiest relationships are not newlyweds.

Check below for more details about these surveys that say a lot about how we feel on a daily basis next to the person we love.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Brigham Young University looked at 2,034 couples with an average age between 35 and 37. The aim was to study how the passage of time changes satisfaction with marriage.

During the surveys, a long-term trend in relationships was observed, with emphasis on marital happiness, general affairs and disagreements. Let’s see in detail what was observed:

the feeling of happiness decreases little by little in the first 20 years of marriage, but then it gets stronger; participation in general (common) affairs also decreased in the first 20 years of married life, but then increased again; disagreements always subside with time.

It turns out that the happiest couples are not newlyweds, but those who have been together for over 20 years, mainly because they devote time and attention to each other’s affairs. Furthermore, as time goes by, people begin to tolerate the ‘defects’ of the other person in a peaceful way, especially those that irritated the most at the beginning of the relationship.

Experts say that over 20 years of a life together, people understand better what is really important to them. Couples also go through difficult times, for example the divorce of friends and the death of family members, and all of this teaches the importance of valuing the person who is by our side. Also, after a long time together it’s hard not to learn to listen to the other person to solve common problems.

Research analysis has shown that married and divorced people are happier as time goes by. That is, time leaves everyone well. Incredible as it may seem, and contrary to common sense, newlyweds are not very happy. The Australian Quality of Life Center found that for people who have been married for one year, family life satisfaction is lower than for people who have been married for 40 years. This relates to young people’s need to make new decisions and get used to the new role of wife and husband. A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the United States concluded that people who consider their loved one to be their best friend are happier than those who do not.

What is your opinion on the relationship between happiness and long-term relationships?