A survey that was commissioned by Thomson Reuters and exclusively published by The Chicago tribune has found that 94% of married or cohabiting adults are happy in their relationships. It’s an interesting finding given that the divorce rate hovers around 45%.
1,783 adults participated in the survey and in follow-up interviews and they offered details of the strategies they use to keep their unions strong and happy. These include being able to talk about things, even difficult topics, having a real friendship, accepting differences instead of trying to change one another, fighting fair because they don’t let arguments get heated and escalate, being there for one another in good times and bad- and weekly or daily physical intimacy. Physical intimacy wasn’t just defined as sex, it included physical touch and other physical expressions of affection.
Interestingly, women still handle the majority of household chores and responsibilities, but males report a strong rate of involvement as parents. This appears to be an important aspect to the happiness of couples. Recent reaerach does show a decline in divorce among younger couples- so they are either choosing more wisely or handling their partnerships better. Whatever has led to this positive change, it is encouraging and more study could yield information on how to lower one’s chances of ending up divorced.
If you want to read the entire survey, you can find it (if you register) on The Chicago Tribune website at
