This chapter explores the shifting cultural attitudes towards marriage, with a focus on the decrease in marriage rates and the belief that being married is essential for a fulfilling life. The speakers discuss socioeconomic and educational splits in marriage rates and question whether marriage is the only way to fulfill the need for intimacy and human connection.
Can long-term relationships do more harm than good? Where is the line between intimacy and codependence? And should we all try to be more like Mike’s parents?
RESOURCES:
- "A Record-High Share of 40-Year-Olds in the U.S. Have Never Been Married," by Richard Fry (Pew Research Center, 2023).
- "Divorce Skyrocketing Among Aging Boomers," by Sharon Jayson (AARP, 2023).
- "Don’t Let Love Take Over Your Life," by Faith Hill (The Atlantic, 2023).
- "Marriage Provides Health Benefits – and Here’s Why," by Libby Richards, Melissa Franks, and Rosie Shrout (The Conversation, 2023).
- "The Benefits of Diversifying Your Social Portfolio," by Samantha Boardman (Psychology Today, 2023).
- "Satisfying Singlehood as a Function of Age and Cohort: Satisfaction With Being Single Increases With Age After Midlife," by Yoobin Park, Elizabeth Page-Gould, and Geoff MacDonald (Psychology and Aging, 2022).
- "Pathology in Relationships," by Susan C. South (Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2021).
- "Behind 'the Collateral Heartbreak' and Intense Devotion of the Reagans' Decades-Long Romance," by Virginia Chamlee (People, 2021).
- "U.S. Marriage Rate Plunges to Lowest Level on Record," by Janet Adamy (The Wall Street Journal, 2020).
- "The Suffocation Model: Why Marriage in America Is Becoming an All-or-Nothing Institution," by Eli J. Finkel, Elaine O. Cheung, Lydia F. Emery, Kathleen L. Carswell, and Grace M. Larson (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2015).
EXTRAS:
SOURCES:
- Eli Finkel, professor of psychology and of management and organizations at Northwestern University.
- Katie Genadek, economist at the U.S. Census Bureau and faculty research associate at the Institute for Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
- Faith Hill, senior associate editor of culture at The Atlantic.
- Abraham Maslow, 20th-century psychologist.
- Katherine K. Merseth, senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
