Cooking Up A Good Marriage
What’s the recipe for a long-lasting marriage? Love, commitment, compromise and increasing ignorance! At least that’s the result of a Swiss study that found that the longer couples are together, the less they know about each other.
Researchers asked married volunteers to rate various foods, movies, and home remodeling ideas. Then, each person predicted how their spouse would rate the same items. Half of the couples were under 35 and had been married less than 10 years. The other half were over 60 and were married for at least 30 years.
The result? Younger couples predicted their partners’ preferences almost half the time. But the people who’d been hitched the longest barely managed 40%! So, why would more time together lead to less knowledge about each other? The researchers believe there are 3 reasons:
First, older couples are secure in their relationship. So, they pay less attention to their partner’s decorating ideas and movie preferences.
Next, the longer we’re with someone the more we believe that their likes and dislikes mesh with ours, so we assume that they like what we like.
And our sense of taste declines as we age. So, it’s difficult for older folks to keep up with their partner’s changing food choices.
But in the end, being conscious of each other’s ideas about movies, food, and home decor isn’t a big deal……Because when the volunteers rated their overall marriage satisfaction, the older couples were the happiest. So, if your spouse surprises you by renting a movie you have no interest in seeing, or bringing home take-out you don’t like, consider that a good sign that they’re comfortable with your relationship.
Researchers asked married volunteers to rate various foods, movies, and home remodeling ideas. Then, each person predicted how their spouse would rate the same items. Half of the couples were under 35 and had been married less than 10 years. The other half were over 60 and were married for at least 30 years.
The result? Younger couples predicted their partners’ preferences almost half the time. But the people who’d been hitched the longest barely managed 40%! So, why would more time together lead to less knowledge about each other? The researchers believe there are 3 reasons:
First, older couples are secure in their relationship. So, they pay less attention to their partner’s decorating ideas and movie preferences.
Next, the longer we’re with someone the more we believe that their likes and dislikes mesh with ours, so we assume that they like what we like.
And our sense of taste declines as we age. So, it’s difficult for older folks to keep up with their partner’s changing food choices.
But in the end, being conscious of each other’s ideas about movies, food, and home decor isn’t a big deal……Because when the volunteers rated their overall marriage satisfaction, the older couples were the happiest. So, if your spouse surprises you by renting a movie you have no interest in seeing, or bringing home take-out you don’t like, consider that a good sign that they’re comfortable with your relationship.
