Fibs Are Good for Marriage

Housework amps up your spouse, but why?

(NEWSER) - More housework equals more sex, a new study shows, though watchers are split on why that is. Two answers quickly spring up: For one, active folks tend to pour their energy into all pursuits. “This group of go-getters seem to make sex a priority,” a researchers tells the Wall Street Journal. And then there’s the mushier reason: housework “makes the couple remember why they are married,” a writer says, “to be on the same team.” More»

Adversity makes couples' bond stronger, experts say

(NEWSER) - Marital bliss? Toss it out the window, and get down to pain and anguish ASAP, experts say. While many studies find that stress can exacerbate a marriage—turning a short-tempered husband into an abusive one, for example—some experts say adversity is the key to marital success. "It’s protective, helping solidify their commitment into an unshakeable us-vs.-the world resolve,” Tiffany Sharples writes in Time. More»

(NEWSER) - As couples grow more committed to each other, their waistlines often grow as well, Time reports. During their first few years of matrimony, couples are twice as likely to become obese as their dating peers, according to a new study being published next month. If they merely move in with their boyfriends, women are 63% more likely than uncoupled peers to become obese; their partners' average risk doesn't increase, however. More»

At least, not compared to just living with your partner

(NEWSER) - If you're living with your significant other, don't worry too much about tying the knot, because it won't make you any happier, according to a new study. The study followed 2,737 single men and women for six years, watching as 896 of them either got married or moved in with a lover, Science Daily reports. The results? Both married couples and cohabitators exhibited higher levels of happiness and fewer depression symptoms than single people—but married couples didn't have an advantage over those just cohabitating. More»

Same isn't true for husbands' lack of sleep: Study

(NEWSER) - If your wife has a poor night’s sleep, it can be bad news for the marriage—but if it’s your husband who can’t drift off, that’s no problem, a study finds. After a woman’s night of tossing and turning, the likelihood of an argument the next day increased. But men’s poor sleep didn’t boost the odds of a feud. “We found that wives' sleep problems affect her own and her spouse's marital functioning the next day,” said a University of Pittsburgh researcher. More»