Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition 3214: How Do Important Relationship Events Impact Our Well-Being by Dr. Bonnie Le with Luvze on Significant Relationship Changes
Dec 7, 2025
Dr. Bonnie Le, a researcher and author, explores how significant relationship milestones impact our well-being. She reveals that events like marriage, divorce, and childbirth can influence happiness but not always as expected. While marriage might bring a temporary boost in life satisfaction, most people return to baseline levels quite quickly. Surprisingly, breakups tend to hit less hard than anticipated, while bereavement exhibits a stronger, more prolonged effect. Bonnie also shares adaptation strategies to navigate these emotional changes.
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Adaptation To Relationship Events
- Relationship events change life satisfaction and emotions differently over time.
- People generally adapt and return near baseline well-being after most major relationship events.
Marriage Gives A Temporary Boost
- Marriage raises life satisfaction briefly but doesn't boost emotional well-being much.
- Relationship satisfaction is high before marriage and drifts back to baseline over time.
Divorce Often Partially Rebounds
- Divorce causes mild immediate drops in life satisfaction that tend to rebound over time.
- Other studies link divorce to increased depression and reduced purpose in life.