As I was reading my Marriage and Family textbook today I found an interesting factor about liking your spouse. In a study of 351 long term marriages, the only criteria was being married for a minimum of 15 years. Then a follow-up study of 100 couples married for 45 years or more. They all had a similar view; which was, that the most important factor is liking your spouse! Liking the kind of person to whom you are married, appreciating the kind of person he or she is. Two quotes directly from my book that emphasize this point are these two comments. "I feel that liking a person in marriage is as important as loving that person. I have to like him so I will love him when things aren't so rosy. Friends enjoy each other's company- enjoy doing things together. That's why friendship really ranks high in my reasons for our happy marriage." From the perspective of a husband he summed up the importance of friendship and liking when he said, "Jen is just the best friend I have. I would rather spend time with her, talk with her, be with her than anyone else." And a wife noted that she liked the kind of person her husband was so much that she would want to be friends with him even If she wasn't married to him. To me, liking each other and sharing similar values is key to a happy marriage.
"It is only a myth that people marry each other purely out of love." One woman said of course so many other factors are important, such as humor(which I like) and the ability to handle conflict constructively together. Love this! I believe it is not just finding the right person but liking each other and sharing similar values, and working together to form a life. I like this! I like this a lot! Because of this chapter I am going to make sure that whomever I date and go forward in a serious relationship I will realize how important it is to like that person.
P.S I hope you "like" this post!:)
Annie Rigby
I LIKE This a lot!!! 👏❤️👏
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts, Annie! I LIKE it a lot too! (:
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