Factors of successful marriage

Factors of a Successful Marriage

Marriage is the union of two people into a relationship traditionally thought to last the remainder of the couple’s lives. In 2011, over 2.1 million couples entered into a marriage presumably with intentions of life long happiness with their partner. However, it is estimated that nearly half of those marriages will result in divorce (Centers for Disease Control, 2011). Conversely, this means that nearly half of marriages do make it and a good portion of those relationships are likely happy and fulfilling. This begs the question, “what are some of the factors that make a marriage successful?” Undoubtedly, many factors influence whether or not a marriage will result in divorce. However, some of the key factors in happy, long-term marriages include communication, friendship, and commitment.

Communication

Every movement and every word spoken is a form of communication. In a marriage, a spouse shares almost every aspect of his or her life with another person, and effective, respectful communication is believed to be one factor of successful marriages. In a 2008 study on communication difficulties in marriage, it was concluded that at the onset of marriage, couples are uncertain about the decisions they need to make together. However, over time the best decisions present themselves through private signals from their partners. The uncertainty itself did not cause a marriage to dissolve; however, it was found that inaccurately interpreting the private signals of partners could cause the marriage to end in divorce (Thompson, 2008). Learning to interpret a partner’s private signals and learning to communicate in a more effective way is an important factor in the success of marriage. Couples that...

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...piness we do now if we had walked away when it was hard. (Evert, personal communication, November 22, 2013)

Long-term, happy marriages are a result of accepting the good times and bad times understanding that each is a part of life.

Conclusion

Successful marriages, those that are happy and do not end in divorce, may seem elusive given the high divorce rates in this country. However, numerous studies have been completed and research conducted on couples that have stayed together and those that did not. These studies have identified many factors that increase the likelihood of marriage success. The factors of communication, friendship, commitment are among only a few that came up repeatedly in nearly all studies. Marriage, like all business and personal relationships, require the people involved to be engaged and dedicated to the success of the relationship.