Do Age Gaps Matter in Relationships? What Four Studies and 680,000 Marriages Reveal
A 12-year gap can turn brunch into a cross-examination. Here is what panel data, divorce surveys and census figures say about couples born years apart.
Relationships
Love, friendship, family and the everyday dynamics between people.
How Couples Meet Now: Online Dating Overtook Friends, and 39% Met on a Screen
For most of the last century, your friends played matchmaker. Then a phone took the job. What the research says about how couples meet, and whether it matters.
Do Couples Who Pool Their Money Stay Happier? What 2 Big Studies Found About Joint Accounts
When researchers randomly told newlyweds to open a joint account, their relationships held up better over two years. The reasons say more about scorekeeping than money.
Does Living Together Before Marriage Raise Divorce Risk? 40 Years of Research, Rechecked
For decades, studies warned that moving in first meant divorcing later. Newer research points to age, engagement and how couples decide, not the shared sofa.
Couples Who Say “We” Mid-Argument Stay Calmer, and It’s Your Partner Who Benefits
Across 30 studies and 5,288 people, “we-talk” tracked with better relationships and health. The link is small, and it runs both ways.
The Laugh You Share Says More About Your Relationship Than the Joke Does
In one study, couples who laughed at the same moment felt closer and more supported. Listeners in 24 societies can hear friendship in it.
“I’m Sorry You Feel That Way” Isn’t an Apology. Here’s What the Science Says Works
In one study, owning the mistake beat every other part of an apology. Another ingredient is missing from most apologies researchers code.
How You React to Good News Says More About Your Relationship Than How You Handle Bad
In one experiment, an excited reply to good news made strangers almost twice as likely to return extra cash as a put-down did.
It Takes Over 200 Hours to Turn a Stranger Into a Close Friend. Here’s the Ladder
Each rung has its own hour count, and the hours you spend side by side at work barely move you up it. Here is what does.
The Dishes Aren’t Really the Problem. Here’s What Your Sink Fight Is Actually About
In one major study, no chore mattered more to women’s relationship satisfaction, and the work behind the row is often invisible.