Psych News You Can Use

A recent Pew study finds that regardless of income, stay-at-home moms who do not work outside the home at all, report more sadness, anger, and depression than moms who are employed. About 65% of mothers work outside the home full or part-time, and 40% of moms with children under 18 are now the sole or primary breadwinner for their family. (more…)

A Duke University study of over 4800 people found that surviving middle age is highly related to having a partner. Single adults are at higher risk of premature death at midlife and those who never married were more than twice as likely to die early, compared to those who had been in a stable marriage throughout their adult life. Stable social ties are crucial to staying healthy and alive, and marriage can provide this strong, ongoing social connection.

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A survey of over 4000 adults in the UK found that people want to feel loved and appreciated, with ‘Thank you’ and thoughtful gestures being highly prized. Sharing values, beliefs and interests in common, as well as being supportive of each other during stressful times, ranks high on the list of what people most want in a partner, whether in Great Britain, the US or elsewhere. (more…)

Couples often get on each other’s nerves because of a lack of sleep, when tiredness can lead to irritation and conflict. Here’s a very useful 6 step program that can help one or both of you fall asleep more easily and quickly. It’s a tried and true program coming out of the University of Arizona’s Sleep Research Lab, published in the ‘Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. (more…)

Young newlyweds who are satisfied with their marriage gain weight in their early years together, putting them at increased risk for various health problems related to being overweight in the long term. That’s the finding of a study on marital satisfaction and weight gain at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and a reminder to couples that healthy eating and exercise (more…)

A recent study at the University of Missouri, found that excessive use of Facebook can harm romantic relationships, leading to emotional and sexual cheating, conflict, breakup and divorce. Especially among newer partnerships of less than three years, spending a lot of time connecting with other people, can undermine your new relationship by causing jealousy, anger and arguments, that can lead to divorce. (more…)

Every couple has important discussions with different points of view. Intense talks often break down because one or both parties engage in thinking patterns and arguments that are unfair, biased, inaccurate or illogical. This very useful summary by Eastern Washington University can help you identify where your discussion might be going wrong and help get you back on track to a fair, positive, constructive exchange. (more…)

A study published in the ‘Journal of Marriage and Family’ reports that couples experience few advantages for well-being, health or social ties compared to those who just live together. Based on over 2700 people, the difference between marriage and cohabitation tend to be small. For some couples, living together may bring fewer obligations than marriage, which some prefer. (more…)

A UCLA study of 464 newlywed couples published in the ‘Journal of Family Psychology,’ found that women who have doubts about getting married are right to be concerned. 19% of women who had pre-wedding jitters were divorced four years later, compared with 8% of those without doubts. And those with pre-wedding concerns were significantly less satisfied than those without worries. (more…)

Praying for a romantic partner can lead to more cooperative and forgiving behavior toward the partner, according to a study done at Florida State University. The study showed that prayer changed actual behavior, which was apparent to the partner, the subject of the prayer. (more…)