Two Canadian economists have come out with a paper that shows that people are generally happier in middle age if they are married. Accumulated research has already demonstrated that happiness follows a U curve—happiness is high when we are young, it dips throughout middle age, and it rises as we enter our later years. This is probably due to the heavy load we carry throughout our middle years and the stress that accompanies it.
Now there is data to show that we can increase our happiness if we marry. Interesting in that marriage and family life bring a lot of stress and additional responsibility along with them. However, we have a partner to (theoretically anyway) share it with—someone to lean on, help shoulder the burden and have our back when we most need it. Makes sense. Of course, the caveat is that it has to be a GOOD marriage. We all know the downsides when it isn’t, divorce being the final step when things can’t be fixed between two people. Talk about stress and misery.
This is important because many young people are putting off and even avoiding marriage altogether—and even those who say they want to marry can prolong it to the point that the pool of good candidates has shrunk considerably. We have more choice when we are younger—and choosing wisely is key to ending up in a happy marriage. So, keep your mind open to marriage, don’t put it off with someone who feels really right because of career, education or other goals that you can continue to pursue as easily when married as you can as a single person. If you want children, there will be time later—as long as you don’t wait too many years until you feel “just right’ and “ready.” If you find the right mate, the rest will eventually take care of itself.