People Happier When They're Coupled

ClickonDetroit ^ | December 2, 2005

[ShadowDancer]

People Happier When They're Coupled

POSTED: 1:44 pm EST December 2, 2005

People in relationships are generally happier than other people, a new Cornell University study found.

The authors of the study say spouses have the highest sense of well-being, whether they are happily married or not.

Next in the ranking of happiness were those who live with someone they aren't married to, those who are in steady relationships and then those in casual relationships.

People without a partner scored the lowest.

"Some commitment appears to be good, but more commitment appears to be even better," said Claire Kamp Dush, a postdoctoral fellow with the Evolving Family Theme Project.

Even those in relatively unhappy marriages appeared to benefit from being married, Kamp Dush said, perhaps because they benefit from marriage's stability, commitment and social status.

"In general, people appear to feel better about themselves and their lives when they move into a more committed relationship," she said.

The results were based on interviews with 691 individuals between 1992 and 1997.

Full Study

[Frank_Discussion]

Oh, my. Unfortunate choice of words headline alert!

"People Happier When Coupled"

No sh*t, Sherlock!

[zeugma]

Yeah. I'm normally happier when I'm "coupled" too.

At least until I fall asleep.

[frogjerk]

REPORT: "Coupled people happy even when the aren't happy."

[Lazamataz]

People Happier When They're Coupled

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Somehow, I knew you wouold be here.

[ClearCase_guy]

Cornell is arguing in favor of Same Sex Marriage, I'd guess.

Coupled?

[pgkdan]

I think that depends on with whom one is coupled.

[Fiddlstix]

Click the Pic

[illinoissmith]

Correlation is not causation. Every study like this, that fact should be in bold red caps at the top and the bottom of each page.

For all we know it is just as possible that the correlation exists because happiness tends to lead to marriage (who wants to get hitched to a sourpuss?), as marriage leads to happiness. Or some other factor might cause an increase in both happiness and marriage (such as, oh, say, having a sane/conservative perspective on life), but not link marriage and happiness together directly.

Therefore, if they use data like this to push for gay "marriage," that would be irresponsible and unfounded.

We really need to be giving kids basic logic in elementary school, I'm tellin' ya...

[funkywbr]

Coupled or coupling?~}

[GregoTX]

Married men live longer than single men...... but married men are more willing to die.

[Pukin Dog]

When does the 'shackled' study come out, so that married men can participate?

[SF Republican]

I'll say!

[GovernmentShrinker]

Since they're living in a society where they're plainly expected to be coupled, and plainly assumed to be unhappy if they're not, this is hardly a surprising result, and doesn't prove a thing. Are Catholic nuns generally miserable and depressed? Never seemed that way, when I've dealt with them.

[Hoodlum91]

I always heard that single men and married men have the same life span.

It just seems a lot longer if their married.

[ThinkDifferent]

Correlation is not causation.

Absolutely correct. But in this case there are strong common-sense reasons to believe that there's a causative component. People spend billions of dollars trying to attract and keep mates, and presumably they have some idea what they want, so it would be very surprising if finding a partner didn't increase happiness.

[rdb3]

People in relationships are generally happier than other people, a new Cornell University study found.

The authors of the study say spouses have the highest sense of well-being, whether they are happily married or not.

Interesting. My wife told me that I had better be happy, or else. Yet I don't see how this is news.

[GregoTX]

I have no idea if it true or not, it is what someone told me at my wedding once.