Till Yawns Do Us Part

Conflicts can kill a marriage, we all know. New research now shows that boredom is as big if not a bigger reason for unsuccessful marriages

Conflicts can kill a marriage, we all know. New research now shows that boredom is as big if not a bigger reason for unsuccessful marriages, according to a study with a self-explanatory title: ‘Marital Boredom Now[,] Predicts Less Satisfaction 9 Years Later’. It is published in the journal Psychological Science. For the study, 123 couples were studied during the seventh and 16th year of their marriage. While the premise of the study was conclusively proven, the converse was not. Greater satisfaction with the relationship at year seven did not mean that in year 16 the couple would be less bored with each other. Interestingly, the 38 couples who divorced before the 16th year were more bored (though it was statistically insignificant) than the 123 couples who stayed married.

Of course, the couples had their quota of conflicts. What the study therefore seems to suggest is that it is as important to add ‘positives’ (shared exciting activities) to a relationship as it is to keep out the negatives (fighting).

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