A considerable number of contemporary Americans have deep reservations about their prospects for marriage, the quality of a marriage they might enter, and the odds that their marriage will last. Some even raise concerns that marriage can be a trap and can expose women to domestic violence. Despite these divergent views and concerns, there is a lot of common ground. Most people, including unmarried parents, value marriage and want to be married. Moreover, research indicates that children thrive best when raised by both biological married parents, as long as the marriage is not high-conflict. Thus, for the sake of adults, children, and society, a growing consensus is emerging that it is not just marriage per se that matters, but healthy marriage. But what is a healthy marriage? This Research Brief addresses that question by examining the concept of healthy marriage and the elements that, taken together, help to define it, such as commitment, marital satisfaction, and communication, as well as two elements that pose obvious threats to healthy marriage: violence and infidelity. This brief also considers factors that are antecedents and consequences of healthy marriage and distinguishes these from the definition of a healthy marriage. The result is a conceptual model that can be useful in informing the public discussion on healthy marriage and what it entails. (Author abstract modified)