I recently read an interesting article in the New York Times by Claire Cain Miller called, “Study Finds More Reasons to Get and Stay Married” published on January 8, 2015. The study found that marriage can provide more happiness for couples particularly during mid-life because it is a very stressful times due to the demands of family and work.
This was not a particularly shocking finding to me because I am a couples therapist and I daily see the benefits of couples that learn to lean on each other through adversity. The part of the article that I loved most was the focus on friendship. Even couples that stay together but do not marry have the same positive outcomes. From my attachment perspective this is the key, because it is not about the change in legal status or even the longevity it is about the ability to lean on someone when you need to and that is exactly what positive attachment is all about!