Marriage Research: Study Reveals Surprising Findings About Closeness In Relationships
Think a happy relationship is defined by a high level of emotional closeness between two partners? Think again.
After surveying 732 men and women over two years, researchers at Columbia University discovered that the happiest couples were not necessarily those who reported feeling very close to each other. Rather, those whose “actual” level of closeness was similar to their “ideal” level of closeness were the most satisfied with their relationships, no matter how close they actually were.
The participants were asked questions about their current and ideal relationship closeness, relationship satisfaction, commitment, break-up thoughts and symptoms of depression. Fifty-seven percent of the participants reported feeling too much distance between themselves and their partner; 37 percent were content with the level of closeness in their relationships, and five percent reported feeling too close.“It’s best not to make too many assumptions about what constitutes a healthy relationship,” said study author Dr. David Frost in a press release. “Rather, we need to hear from people about how close they are in their relationships and how that compares to how close they’d ideally like to be.”
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