The amount of time a couple spends dating could impact the overall success of their marriage, according to a study by psychology professor Ted Huston.
Family sciences graduate student Elizabeth Schoenfeld, who is Huston’s research assistant, said high affection levels in couples are a greater indicator of whether divorce is likely.
“Couples want to maintain their relationship and high level of affection, but it begins to decline after a point,” she said. “[Couples] tend to want to recapture the ‘spark’ but experience a sharp decline, even if they tend to have higher levels of affection than other couples [who don’t divorce].”
Huston’s research, which analyzed trends of 168 couples over a 14-year period, concluded that couples who either rushed into or waited too long before marriage have an increased risk of divorce.
“[The study] highlights the importance of maintaining a level of affection, meaning a couple can’t have high levels of affection because affection will definitely decline over time,” Schoenfeld said. “Instead of pursuing passion, couples need to do new things together to keep them in a fresh state.”
She also said many couples who tend to experience high levels of affection go through frequent fluctuations in their relationship prior to marriage, which may or may not continue into married life.
Read the full story at the Daily Texan.
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