172. Is Marriage Worth It?
36:38 Share

Can long-term relationships do more harm than good? Where is the line between intimacy and codependence? And should we all try to be more like Mike’s parents?

RESOURCES:

• "A Record-High Share of 40-Year-Olds in the U.S. Have Never Been Married)," by Richard Fry (*Pew Research Center, *2023).
• "Divorce Skyrocketing Among Aging Boomers)," by Sharon Jayson (*AARP, *2023).
• "Don’t Let Love Take Over Your Life)," by Faith Hill (*The Atlantic, *2023).
• "Marriage Provides Health Benefits – and Here’s Why)," by Libby Richards, Melissa Franks, and Rosie Shrout (*The Conversation, *2023).
• "The Benefits of Diversifying Your Social Portfolio)," by Samantha Boardman (*Psychology Today, *2023).
• "Satisfying Singlehood as a Function of Age and Cohort: Satisfaction With Being Single Increases With Age After Midlife)," by Yoobin Park, Elizabeth Page-Gould, and Geoff MacDonald (*Psychology and Aging, *2022).
• "Pathology in Relationships)," by Susan C. South (*Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, *2021).
• "Behind 'the Collateral Heartbreak' and Intense Devotion of the Reagans' Decades-Long Romance)," by Virginia Chamlee (*People, *2021).
• "U.S. Marriage Rate Plunges to Lowest Level on Record)," by Janet Adamy (*The Wall Street Journal, *2020).
• "The Suffocation Model: Why Marriage in America Is Becoming an All-or-Nothing Institution)," by Eli J. Finkel, Elaine O. Cheung, Lydia F. Emery, Kathleen L. Carswell, and Grace M. Larson (*Current Directions in Psychological Science, *2015).

EXTRAS:

• "Are We Getting Lonelier?)" by *No Stupid Questions *(2023).
• "The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One)," by *Freakonomics Radio *(2023).
• “Why Did You Marry That Person? (Replay)),” by *Freakonomics Radio *(2023).
• “The Fracking Boom, a Baby Boom, and the Retreat From Marriage),” by *Freakonomics Radio *(2017).

SOURCES:

• Eli Finkel), professor of psychology and of management and organizations at Northwestern University.
• Katie Genadek), economist at the U.S. Census Bureau and faculty research associate at the Institute for Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Faith Hill), senior associate editor of culture at The Atlantic.
• Abraham Maslow), 20th-century psychologist.
• Katherine K. Merseth), senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.