Originally aired on March 26, 2004, Ira Glass takes you through three real-life stories describing marriage from diverse angles on this particular episode. Included is a discussion with marital researcher John Gottman, stories about the different definitions of marriage and a story about two daughters who wanted their parents to divorce. Listen to the Show

With a rise in divorces among married couples older than fifty, there then comes the list of potential reasons for this increase including lack of sexual intimacy at this age, lack of love, and lack of commitment. Many even found it difficult to share things with their partners. Read more.

Based on several data sets and surveys on men and women, researchers found that college-educated women are more likely to be married at age 40 than women without a college education. These women are also more likely to say they are happy in their marriages. This may be because both college-educated men and women are […]

Charlie Michaels and Mike Brown, authors of "Mastering Marriage," suggest that couples need to agree on the following three issues: 1) spending philosophy-what merits a credit card or is "cash only;" 2) Long term financial goals-spouses need to be on the same page about where their financial future is headed; and 3) spending priorities-determining what […]

In the current economy, many stresses such as financial strain and feelings of worthlessness become chronic, and thus the stress begins to spill over into the family relationships. However, some of these stresses can be reduced while strengthening family bonds if couples make sure that they talk. This means discussing fears, anger of job loss, […]

Researchers at the University of Michigan interviewed 373 couples four times over a 16-year period, and found that many of those marriages were probably doomed from the beginning because the partners couldn't get their act together. One wanted to resolve the conflict. The other wanted to ignore it. Read more.

The potential consequences of hooking up go beyond STDs and other short-term problems. In fact, there may be a connection between increased rates of infidelity in young married couples and the college culture of hooking up.  Facing these trends, Teresa Downing-Matibag has started communities that discuss relationships and intimacy to educate and inform students of […]

Breaking down the divorce rates by career, Michael Aamodt and colleagues found that dancers, bartenders, massage therapists, casino workers, telephone operators, nurses, and home healthy aides had the highest risk for divorce. Those with the lowest risk for divorce included engineers, optometrists, clergy, and podiatrists.  Read more.

Even if we married what we consider to be our “soul mate,” they will change and grow throughout the relationship just as we will, perhaps even grow right out of the “soul mate” category. So instead of focusing on changing your partner to be more compatible, you need to focus on changing yourself.  Read more.

A partner with divorced parents has a 50% higher chance of experiencing divorce, and if both partners come from divorced parents, the risk for divorce increases by 200%. However, there are steps that these couples can take to overcome these odds such as discussing worries with a partner, seeking premarital education courses, and learning from […]