Are married people happier than those who are not?

(CNN) — Living happily ever after can be more than a fairy tale. At least that’s what some data shows.

Married adults say they are happier than those in any other marital status, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

“Any way you look at the data, we see a very large and significant advantage of being married in terms of how people rate their lives,” said survey author Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup’s chief economist.

Between 2009 and 2023, more than 2.5 million adults in the United States were asked how they would rate their current life, with zero being the worst possible rating and 10 being the highest. The researchers then asked the respondents what they thought their level of happiness would be in five years.

According to the survey, for a person to be considered wealthy, they must rate their current life as a seven or higher and their expected future as an eight or higher.

During the survey period, married people’s happiness levels were consistently higher than their single counterparts, ranging between 12% and 24% depending on the year, according to the data.

The difference remained even when the researchers adjusted for factors such as age, race, ethnicity, gender and education, according to the survey.

Education is a strong predictor of happiness, but the data show that married adults who have not attended high school evaluate their lives more favorably than single adults with graduate degrees.

“Aspects like race, age, gender and education are important,” said Bradford Wilcox, professor of sociology and director of National Marriage. project at the University of Virginia. Wilcox reviewed and edited Gallup’s research.

“We are social animals. And as Aristotle said, we are programmed to connect,” he added.

Differences in how we choose our partners

Marriage and family therapist and CNN relationship contributor Ian Kerner said the happiness associated with marriage probably has something to do with what people expect from it. ‘marriage’ to ‘companion marriage,’ meaning that people are increasingly choosing spouses who are more like best friends than passionate partners,” explains Kerner via email.

Although this can lead to attraction problems, it also means that these people choose partners based on qualities that promote long-term stability and satisfaction.

“At the very least, the concept of commitment implies the experience of being connected to another person. At best, it means being connected to someone who forms a solid and secure base and who will stand by you in any adverse situation,” says Dr. Monica O’Neill, Boston psychologist.

Do I need to get married to be happy?

We can learn a lot from the data, but it’s hard to say whether marriage causes higher levels of happiness, Rothwell said.

It may be that people who have qualities that lead to more consistent happiness may also pursue marriage, according to the survey.

“It’s also well known, at least for men, that getting married brings more income,” says Rothwell. “There is much debate in the literature as to whether it is because more successful, attractive, intelligent men who have traits that lead them to earn more in the job market are more likely to marry.” The quality of marriage, however, can vary depending on individual circumstances, societal changes and cultural perspectives on such unions, he added.

For example, in societies where marriage is often a practical necessity, the data show less of an effect on happiness than where individuals feel more able to choose their status and spouse, Rothwell said.

And O’Neal doesn’t believe that being in an unhappy marriage makes you feel better about life in general.

“I still believe that those in unhappy marriages are probably less happy than single people,” he said.

Whether you’re married or dating, you can maximize your chances of having a happy relationship by communicating well about what your commitments are to each other, O’Neill said.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get to a point in the social sciences where we can say for sure whether marriage causes happiness,” Rothwell said.

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