Member-only story
5 Secrets of Enduring Love From Couples Who Have Been Married for Decades
When scientists tracked hundreds of men for decades to uncover the secret to lifelong flourishing for the biggest happiness study ever conducted here’s what they concluded:
“Happiness is love. Full stop.”
What’s more, a solid partnership won’t just make you happier. Research also shows that a happy relationship will help you get ahead at work too.
So if supportive, long-lasting love is so essential for happiness and success, how do you get it? For centuries, everyone from psychologists to poets have spilled thousands of gallons of ink over this question, but Cornell gerontologist Karl Pillemer believed there was still one relatively untapped well of wisdom on the subject — older folks with decades’ of marriage under their belts.
Hoping to mine seniors for relationship advice, Pillemer gathered some 700 individuals who had been married for more than 30 years and asked them for their most crucial marriage advice. The oldest couple in the study was 98 and 101 and had been married 76 years; together the participants had a collective 40,000 years experience with marriage. (Pillemer pulled together similar groups for studies on careers and regrets as well).
