Happy Marriage Study

Eharmony Launch Biannual Study

Research shows that 70% of married Brits are happy in their marriages. Northerners are least happily married. Participants name communication and compromise as vital for maintaining wedded felicity.

United Kingdom (ePressReleases.org) Sep 25, 2010 - In a move to quash any cynicism surrounding the state of marriage, dating site eharmony.co.uk has launched a new study: the Happy Marriage Index. The results from its first assessment were released this week after six months of careful research involving 1,240 participants. The next set of results is scheduled to be released in December 2010 and biannually from then on.

Interesting disparities have already been revealed in this month's research. Trends show a significant correlation between marital contentment and geographical location. Married Scots are 8% more likely to be happy than the UK average of 70%, meaning that nearly four-fifths claim wedded felicity here. The Midlands come in second with 73% followed by the South East (70%), and Wales and the South West (67%). So if you meet your partner in Brighton dating, you can be encouraged by the chances of going on to have a happy marriage. Those in North England lag behind with 64%, but this still indicates that a significant majority are happily married.

The study also revealed that 16% of those in 4 to 10-year-old marriages were unhappy as opposed to 20% of those in marriages that had lasted over a decade.

An interesting difference in the opinions of men and women was also unearthed, as women gave a more positive outlook. 72% of the questioned women were perfectly content in their marriages, with just 17% confessing to be unhappily married. On the other hand, only 67% of married men said they were happy and over one-fifth claimed the opposite.

In addition to the 993 married participants, 72 widowed, 30 separated and 145 divorced people also took part in the study. eHarmony questioned all parties about the key aspects of marriage and why theirs was a success or a failure. Two-fifths of the participants wished they had known from the beginning that compromise was an essential component of married life, whereas 44% named constant communication as the key they now regret not initially knowing.

45% of divorced or separated participants also recognised the importance of communication within a marriage and wished they had known about this before their wedding day. A further 45% confessed that they would have liked to know about their partner's unpleasant habits before tying the knot.

Dr Gian Gonzaga, Ph.D, is a relationship expert for eHarmony and was keen to bring further light to this study. "Most couples will start off with very happy marriages," he says. "But over time the stress of life can get in the way of maintaining that happiness. Jobs, in-laws, bills, kids... all of these things can eat away at the quality of a marriage. That is why it is so important that spouses stay connected and understand each other. Good communication is critical, and if a couple fosters shared interests, common goals and values, it can help both spouses understand each other better."

eHarmony is renowned for its Compatibility Matching SystemT, which was developed after many years of thorough research calculating the dimensions that commonly result in marital felicity. eHarmony measure compatibility through many aspects: personality, beliefs, attitudes and values are all considered in order to bring together those who will best maintain successful and loving long-term relationships.

Notes to Editors:

The eHarmony Happy Marriage Index is a six monthly study of 1000 married, separated, divorced and widowed people to assess their perceptions of the institution of marriage and relationships. The study was conducted for eHarmony by Omnibus during February 2010. The study was analysed by eHarmony during May 2010. Data was weighted to be nationally representative and there was a 5% risk level of error. The next Index will be published in December 2010.


About:

Dr Gian Gonzaga, Ph.D

Dr. Gian Gonzaga is a relationship scientist and the senior director of research and development at eHarmony Labs. He has taught, presented and published extensively on topics relating to relationships, love and health, and has received numerous honors and awards for his work, including the prestigious National Science Foundation minority Predoctoral Fellowship and Psi Chi National Undergraduate Research Competition. He is a member of several professional and academic associations including the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships. Dr. Gonzaga holds a doctorate in Personality-Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

eHarmony Labs:

eHarmony Labs is a research centre set up to investigate and understand what makes relationships successful. In addition to using current psychological literature and psychometric theory to guide new studies and eHarmony products, the Labs conducts ongoing observational studies of real couples to advance the understanding of relationships. eHarmony Labs is a pioneer of relationship research that extends beyond the US and into international markets.

eharmony.co.uk:

eHarmony launched in the United Kingdom in 2008, following a period of extensive research into love and relationships in the UK. Working in partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, a multi-disciplinary research team gathered and analysed data to identify the patterns that predict compatibility for couples throughout the United Kingdom. After conducting the research, eHarmony developed models of compatibility specific to the United Kingdom resident population and now offers a UK relationship service based on a series of scientific models known as the Compatibility Matching SystemT.

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