marriage, weird news, social sciences
Someone once said that science isn’t concerned with the ways of the heart. That isn’t true when it comes to some new experiments in the field of social science. Scientists are exploring what makes a happy marriage and what can cause stumbling blocks in relationships. The findings of these experiments may lead to less divorce rates, or at least may help you to smooth out some rough patches in an otherwise happy marriage.
Be Old-Fashioned, Be Happy
Some researchers at the University of Queensland have an interesting theory. They believe that the key to a happy marriage may be old-fashioned relationship techniques. No, they don’t mean the male-dominated relationships of Western cultures. The relationships they are interested in are considered the more traditional Chinese unions where the couple work together to take care of the family and supporting each other instead of employing romantic ideals of how a relationship should be.
To support their theory, the researchers point to the fact that there are far less divorces in China than in other countries that look for romantic ideals such as passion in their marriages. One major difference in Chinese and Westerner relationships is that Westerners tend to air their feelings openly, while the Chinese try to keep the peace. There is no conclusive evidence yet, and research is still ongoing, but researchers hope that their findings can be used in relationship education programs to enlighten married couples on other cultures.
More Money, More Problems
Researchers at Brigham Young University have found that rapper Notorious BIG was right. More money does equal more problems. In their research Brigham Young University academics found that couples that don’t place a high importance on material objects tend to have more stable marriages. While couples who admitted to being more materialistic had more money, they also had much more conflicts about money than the other couples. This could indicate that couples who tend to like material items could help their marriage by simplifying their lifestyles.
Haters Keep Hating, Lovers Keep Loving
New research may offer a look into your marriage’s future. If you fight, you’ll keep fighting says a study weird news story published in the Journal of Family Issues by researchers at Ohio and Florida State Universities. In the study, couples conflict patterns tended to stay the same throughout their marriage. This means if you only fight with your spouse every now and then, that’s probably what you can expect throughout the marriage, which is a good thing. On the other hand, if you and your spouse are constantly fighting, don’t expect the rivalry to end any time soon. Don’t fret, though. The research also found that couples that shared decision-making had less conflicts. So, sharing decisions with your hubby may be a way to lessen your conflicts down the line.
Thanks to research, soon the mysteries of what makes a happy marriage may be revealed. Until then, we will have to keep track of the latest medical news and extract information that we can apply to our marriages.