The Best Predictor Of Happiness In The U.S. Is Marriage, According To Survey

On average, married Americans with children are experiencing greater happiness and prosperity than single individuals without children. We're not really surprised by this – we've been reporting for years now how single people are typically the unhappiest individuals in society, especially those who prioritize careers over relationships.

According to new research from the University of Chicago, the "most important differentiator" of who is happy is marriage by 30%. "Being married is the most important differentiator with a 30-percentage point happy-unhappy gap over the unmarried," author Sam Peltzman writes. However, income is also important, but he applies Easterline's paradox: "The rich are much happier than the poor at any moment, but income growth doesn’t matter."

The study notes that people with educational and racial differences have different levels of contentment, but the gap between black and white Americans has diminished over time. Meanwhile, gender, age, and geography don't really affect happiness, though older people may feel less joyful as they age. Lastly, conservatives were found to be happier compared to those who identified as liberals (another topic we've covered).

"Education and racial differences are also consequential, though the black-white gap has narrowed substantially. Geographic, and age differences have been relatively unimportant, though old-age unhappiness may be emerging. Conservatives are distinctly happier than liberals as are people who trust others or the Federal government," the study states.

Peltzman explains that "marital status is and has been a very important marker for happiness" and "the married population is over 30 points happier than the unmarried, and that number has hardly changed since the 1970s." These results are the same for both men and women, and the mean happiness for the nonmarried "hovers near zero throughout the sample period."

"So the happiness landslide comes entirely from the married. Low happiness characterizes all types of nonmarried," he said. Peltzman attributes the rise of discontentment to the dropping marriage rate, writing, the "recent decline in the married share of adults can explain (statistically) most of the recent decline in overall happiness."

Psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge offers her analysis on the General Social Survey that found people with higher income, more education, and more prestigious jobs were happier, and acknowledges that married individuals are more satisfied than unmarried people "by a fairly large margin. While the data doesn't explicitly state whether marriage is the cause of happiness and vice versa, the findings are clear: Marriage and happiness go hand-in-hand."

"This data can’t answer the question of whether marriage causes happiness or happiness causes marriage. Nevertheless, it does suggest that one reason for the growing class gap in happiness is the growing marriage gap by class. If some of the causation goes from marriage to happiness, then encouraging marriage might be one way to close the gap," said Dr. Twenge.

Today, we see an increasing trend of unstable relationships, where long-lasting and healthy commitments seem undervalued. Dating apps, social media, and hookup culture are likely to blame. There's also the emphasis on career, and the fast-paced nature of the rat race has also overshadowed the significance of finding love and building lasting connections. It's easier said than done, but finding someone who is marriage material seems to be the antidote to unhappiness; hence why it's crucial we shift our focus toward encouraging commitment, conscious dating, and meaningful relationships instead of flings.

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