Relationship Longevity

Former US Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper never showed public signs of a disintegrating relationship, so for many, the couple’s announcement that they were separating after 40 years of marriage came as a surprise.

Former US Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper never showed public signs of a disintegrating relationship, so for many, the couple’s announcement that they were separating after 40 years of marriage came as a surprise. A divorce after 40 years is “unusual”, said Robert Levenson, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies marriage across lifespans. Most divorces occur early in marriage. Marriages get in trouble when the couple’s situation changes and they can’t adapt, Levenson said. The birth of the first child is particularly fraught. Tensions over housekeeping, finances and child-rearing can run high. As couples overcome challenges together, however, relationships strengthen. In fact, people are often happier by their 35th anniversary than when they first got married. According to friends of the Gores, the couple cited ‘growing apart’ as the reason for their split. That’s a common reason for midlife divorces. Relationship ruts and boredom are common.

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