I always trust research more when it includes a catchy title as does, What’s Love Got to Do With It, an Australian study on what it takes for marriages to work. Looks like their findings suggest issues such as age when married, opinions on kids, parents, prior marriages and money play key roles.
Here are a few more things that can add to the likelihood of a long-lasting marriage.
- Similar tastes in TV (no idea where my wife would find another ridiculously manly man who is desperately addicted to So You Think You Can Dance, NYC Prep, and anything about housewives in any city).
- Humor. This is a critical factor from about 48 hours into the relationship.
- Co-enabling of bad habits. Hey I may be getting older, we may have been together for 15 years, we may wake up to babies crying in about four hours, but if I’m not mistaken, that’s the pizza guy out front.
- Occasional* use of recreational drugs and alcohol (*by occasional, I sort of mean constant).
- Different favorite foods (avoid the “Who at the last …” possibilities).
- Habitual and aggressive masturbation (really a key to happiness for almost everyone).
- Both parties should regularly remark on the impressive endowment of the husband (even if only one of them actually believes it).
- It can often be helpful to exchange comments on how poorly other couples have aged
- Tweeting and Facebooking must be kept under control.
- If you have kids, it really helps if they are fantastically attractive (takes the edge off when they say, “I don’t have to do anything you say.”).
- While you may have a closed and traditional marriage, it makes a lot of sense if you both agree that if Beyonce wants to join the union for a few hours, it’s a definite go.
