For better, for worse
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat. A study of couples finds that "for better, for worse" seems to really mean something. Claire Kamp Dush of Cornell University looked at contentment, from married couples to living-togethers, daters, and people in no relationship at all. Her study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Kamp Dush found married couples were the most content and no-relationship singles the least content. But even people in unhappy marriages felt better than people who were unhappy living together. That surprised her; she had expected that feeling stuck in a bad marriage would make life worse. Kamp Dush's conclusion: Commitment counts. "It appears that there's just some advantages to being in committed relationships. Perhaps it's the security of knowing you have a partner there for you." (eight seconds) Her advice: Work on the commitment. Learn more at www.hhs.gov. HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss. Last revised: August, 15 2006 | 
