Satisfaction in marriage years after tying the knot

Couples in Missouri may wonder if it is true that marital satisfaction will steadily decline in the years after the couple exchanges vows. A common idea is that marriage will begin with hearts full of happiness, but that happiness and excitement will cool off as the years pass. It is common for researchers to refer to this as the honeymoon-is-over effect.

This perspective is being called into question thanks to new research. Recent studies are showing that it is actually quite common for spouses to experience high levels of marital satisfaction years or even decades after exchanging vows. One specific study focused on how satisfied married couples were throughout the years despite being economically disadvantaged.

The study involved 431 couples who were in the low-income category. Recently married couples were contacted five times over five years and asked to respond to questions related to marital satisfaction. The couples were divided into three groups based on their initial marital satisfaction as high, moderate or low. Then, trajectories of marital satisfaction were tracked according to each group.

The results were in stark contrast to the idea that the honeymoon is over and marital satisfaction slowly declines throughout the years. Individuals who were in the low satisfaction group at first were likely to experience strong declines in satisfaction over time. However, individuals who were in the high or moderate groups maintained those levels of satisfaction throughout the years.

Individuals who feel dissatisfied with their marriage may turn to divorce. A person in this circumstance may have questions about family law, child support and family court. A family law attorney may be able to assist an individual in this circumstance by advising their client on issues that could arise during the divorce process, including child custody, post-nuptial agreements, asset valuation and property division.