The researchers found that women who became mothers initially were satisfied with their marriages; after having babies, 33 percent reported stable or improved marital satisfaction while 67 percent reported declines.

One of the earliest findings in the marital satisfaction literature is that partners’ satisfaction tends to be high around the time of the wedding, after which it begins a slow but steady decline (Burgess & Wallin, 1953; see Gottman & Notarius, 2002 and Karney & Bradbury, 1995 for reviews of subsequent research).

According to numerous studies, marital satisfaction is a multidimensional concept that is affected by many factors, including age at marriage, duration of marriage, ethnicity, personal characteristics, mental maturity, way of thinking, perception of one’s own self and others, expectations of life, emotional …

These themes were: “permanence of relationship, love, sex, compatibility in personality, common interests, communication, decision-making, intimacy, and religion” (Billingsley et al., 2005, p. 7). This finding allows us to see what factors have been found in past studies that have been said to impact marital success.

The Guinness World Record for longest living American couple belongs to North Carolinians Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher. They were married for 86 years, 290 days as of February 27, 2011 when Herbert died at the age of 105.

There is evidence that more intelligent men are more likely to be married. Aspara found that men were more likely to be married (and to still be married four years later) if they were higher in intelligence, confirming the results of earlier studies.

In a study involving 250 married couples, results found that the best predictor of marital satisfaction was the amount of time spent alone with the spouse. Wives who spend most of their time with their husbands were the happiest.

1. Do You Trust Your Partner? Trust is the first and perhaps most important predictor of long-term relational success.

The study suggests that both cohabitations and marriages tend to last longer under certain conditions, such as: a woman’s age at the time cohabitation or marriage began; whether she was raised throughout childhood in an intact 2-parent family; whether religion plays an important role in her life; and whether she had a …

They have learned to invest their money, energy, and time into the 8 essentials of a healthy marriage:

• Love/Commitment. At its core, love is a decision to be committed to another person.
• Sexual Faithfulness.
• Humility.
• Patience/Forgiveness.
• Time.
• Honesty and Trust.
• Communication.
• Selflessness.

1 Peter 3:7: “In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”

Constant Conflict – (Ephesians 5:33) “If your marriage is filled with conflict, don’t give up.” This scripture instructs a husband to love his wife as he loves himself and that his wife must respect him. If your marriage is filled with conflict, don’t give up.

Agape

“Adore” is much stronger but temporary and unsustainable. “Love” is much, much longer or more sustainable, and can be everlasting or for life. This is because adoring someone is a level of emotion that’s just not sustainable for human beings, with all their daily needs and demands of attention and care.

Meet the 8 Different Types of Love

• Philia — Affectionate Love. Philia is love without romantic attraction and occurs between friends or family members.
• Pragma — Enduring Love.
• Storge — Familiar Love.
• Eros — Romantic Love.
• Ludus — Playful Love.
• Mania — Obsessive Love.
• Philautia — Self Love.
• Agape — Selfless Love.

In the book, he outlines the five ways he believes humans show—and want to be shown—love. These so-called “love languages” are: receiving gifts; quality time; words of affirmation; acts of service (devotion); and physical touch.