Delusions of the happily married

Posted at 2:58 PM on March 7, 2011 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Life

If delusions make you happy, why can't that be your reality?

For many married couples, it is, according to some new research. It found that if a person is more delusional -- in a good way -- about his/her partner, they have a better chance of having a happy marriage, the Boston Globe reports:

University of Buffalo researchers recruited 222 couples heading in to apply for marriage licenses to fill out surveys on themselves, their partner, and their marriage every six months for three years. They then compared the self-ratings of respondents in terms of intelligence, creativity, athletic skills, etc., with how their spouse rated their attributes.

Those who inflated their partner's assets also reported being more happily married. "People are very good at changing their definitions to match how they want to see themselves or how they want to see others,'' lead study author Sandra Murray says in a statement. They can decide their spouse is the perfect match for them, even if they clash pretty badly.

In marriage, it seems, it's important to go into it with your eyes wide shut.

Comments (2)

My wife and I subscribe to that method. She looks past my flaws and I past hers. Everybody wins. We have been largely in denial about each others faults for 32 years now!

Posted by John P. | March 7, 2011 4:51 PM

Speaking of delusions, there's a pretty interesting piece about parenthood at this link:

http://www.minnpost.com/healthblog/2011/03/04/26352/parents_exaggerate_joys_of_parenthood_to_justify_its_costs_study_finds

Posted by Paul | March 7, 2011 6:49 PM

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