Healthy Marriage Hinges on Husbands' Good Health and Positive Attitude

University of Chicago researchers studied marriages of older adults and found that a husband with an agreeable personality and good health is essential to the preservation of a marriage.

The study, "Marital Conflict in Older Couples: Positivity, Personality, and Health," was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in February. A surprising finding of the study was that the wives' characteristics and well-being played a lesser role in the status of a marriage.

Lead author James Iveniuk, a PhD candidate in the University of Chicago's Department of Sociology, and his researchers examined 953 (heterosexual) couples in which the husbands and wives' ages ranged from 63 to 90 years old. They also analyzed gender differences through gathering personality traits.

They found that wives report more conflict if their husband is in poor health and more discord if a husband lacked high levels positivity. The researchers examined traits such as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, anxiety, and positivity. Positivity, or a "person's overall desire to be seen in a positive light," was found to be a crucial factor.

Additionally, men who reported themselves as neurotic or extroverted were more likely to have a wife who complained more about the quality of their marriage. That trait was seen as a more "gender-appropriate" role for women, so it didn't prove to be a good mix when a man possessed that quality.

But the main determinants of a good marriage were reliant on positivity and good health. Good health is one thing we can control to a certain extent, but growing older can cause health to fall out of one's own control. Positive thinking is something everyone can practice and maintain. A Huffington Post article elaborated upon the science of positive thinking, as have many doctors along with medical and health experts.

"Research is beginning to reveal that positive thinking is about much more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude," wrote James Clear in this Huffington Post article. "Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile."

If it's possible to maintain positive thinking throughout your life and improve various aspects that consume your day, then why not give it a shot?

To read more about the University of Chicago study, visit this UChicago News article.