172. Is Marriage Worth It?

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:

• " Are We Getting Lonelier? • " by No Stupid Questions • (2023). • " The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One • ," by Freakonomics Radio • (2023). • “ Why Did You Marry That Person? (Replay) • ,” by Freakonomics Radio • (2023). • “ The Fracking Boom, a Baby Boom, and the Retreat From Marriage • ,” by Freakonomics Radio • (2017).

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.