New Study Confirms Benefits of Marriage

A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that, controlling for individual pre-marital happiness levels, "the married are still more satisfied" and happier than the single. The "well-being effects of marriage are about twice as large for those whose spouse is also their best friend." 

Moreover, researchers John Helliwell and Shawn Grover found that the "married have a less deep U-shape in life satisfaction across age groups than do the unmarried, indicating that marriage may help ease the causes of the mid-life dip in life satisfaction and that the benefits of marriage are unlikely to be short-lived." Reporting on the study, the New York Times writes

The benefits of marital friendship are most vivid during middle age, when people tend to experience a dip in life satisfaction, largely because career and family demands apply the most stress then. Those who are married, the new paper found, have much shallower dips – even in regions where marriage does not have an overall positive effect.

“The biggest benefits come in high-stress environments, and people who are married can handle midlife stress better than those who aren’t because they have a shared load and shared friendship,” Mr. Helliwell said.

Overall, the research comes to a largely optimistic conclusion. People have the capacity to increase their happiness levels and avoid falling deep into midlife crisis by finding support in long-term relationships.