Spouses who are best friends are twice as happy in life.
There are a lot of reasons to get married. One is being in love. Another is wanting the tax break. Yet another is the desire to publicly commit to your best friend that you will be with him or her forever, no matter what. Until death parts you.
Now, science has proven a somewhat shocking concept: When it comes to having a fulfilling life, the best friend status is what matters most.
The study from the National Bureau of Economic Research is creatively titled, “How’s Life at Home? New Evidence on Marriage and the Set Point for Happiness.” One of its main findings is that individuals who consider their spouse to be their best friend are twice as satisfied with their lives overall.
The researchers wrote,
“Those who are best friends with their partners have the largest well-being benefits from marriage and cohabitation, even when controlling for pre-marital well-being levels. The well-being benefits of marriage are on average about twice as large for those (about half of the sample) whose spouse is also their best friend.”
The value of scientific studies like this that examine the quality and sustainability of relationships lies not just in the conclusions, but in the choices we can make because of them.
This science suggests that if you want a fulfilling partnership and satisfying life, there’s one question to add to the list that should arguably be put at the top:
Is she/he my best friend?