All Marriage Articles

How does Alice like being pregnant?" Bob asked his friend John. "Oh, she's not pregnant," John replied, "she's expecting." "What's the difference?" Bob pressed. "Well, John explained, "She's expecting me to cook dinner, she's expecting me to do the housework, she's expecting me to rub her feet ..." Read more...

Unfaithful women beware. Chances are your male partner is on your case. In fact, he is likely to suspect infidelities even when you have kept to the straight and narrow. The flip side is that to counter this constant vigilance, women may be better than men at concealing illicit liaisons. Paul Andrews at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and colleagues gave 203 young heterosexual Read more...

If you cheated on your spouse, would you admit it to a researcher? That question is one of the biggest challenges in the scientific study of marriage, and it helps explain why different studies produce different estimates of infidelity rates in the United States. Surveys conducted in person are likely to underestimate the real rate of adultery, because people are reluctant to admit such Read more...

She's not going to tell you how to satisfy your man! And she definitely won't tell you what you can do to make him pop the question! On the contrary, in her first issue of Singular, a Los Angeles magazine devoted solely to singles, what she tells you is this: You don't need him (or her) in the first place. Kim Calvert will not tell you "I think it's so sad that people are buying into Read more...

If you ask married people why their marriage works, they are probably not going to say it's because they found their financial soul mate. But if they are lucky, they have. Marrying a person who shares your attitudes about money might just be the smartest financial decision you will ever make. In fact, when it comes to finances, your marriage is likely to be your most valuable asset -- or your Read more...

If you are one of the 23 percent of U.S. couples (34 percent if you live in Canada) sleeping in separate beds, there are a handful of reasons why you might be keeping your space, so to speak. Stress, different work schedules, snoring, tossing and turning, “morning” or “evening” personality types and feelings of anger or resentment are some of the most common reasons. Reasons for Read more...

If you are one of the 23 percent of U.S. couples (34 percent if you live in Canada) sleeping in separate beds, there are a handful of reasons why you might be keeping your space, so to speak. Stress, different work schedules, snoring, tossing and turning, “morning” or “evening” personality types and feelings of anger or resentment are some of the most common reasons. Reasons for Read more...

See also: bed, bedroom, marriage, relationships, separate, sex, sleeping

A man and his wife are doing yard work. The husband says to the wife, "Your rear end is as wide as the grill." She ignores the remark. A little later, the husband takes his measuring tape and measures the grill, then goes over to his wife while she is bending over working in a flower bed, he measures her rear end and gasps, "Geez, it really IS as wide as the Read more...

Studies show money, even more than politics or sex, is one of those taboo topics people don't like to discuss. Too bad. Let's get personal. How are your finances? Not so good? Excellent? So-so? Let's go a step further. How is your relationship with your spouse in regard to cash? Can you manage to talk about money without getting upset? While research varies as to Read more...

One of the great wisdoms that midlife brings is knowing there are many kinds of love and intimacy, and many ways to enjoy sex. Just as age is an ongoing process, so is your sexual life. Even if you've been married to the same person for decades, sex can be a continuous erotic adventure. And sexual fulfillment helps bring balance into other aspects of our lives, too. By putting quality Read more...

A happy marriage is literally good for your heart, research suggests. Scientists have found that unhappily married people suffer more physical signs of stress, such as higher blood pressure, than those who are in good relationships. Stress is a known trigger for heart attacks, and those who are constantly stressed are also more likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyles. Past Read more...

I remember the very first time I received a love letter. I was 9 years old, in the fifth grade, and Alfie Williams gave me a Valentine -- not just the preprinted kind that your mother makes you give to everyone in the class, but a real, honest-to-goodness Valentine he'd picked out and signed himself. It wasn't poetry -- in fact, I think he just signed, "Love, Alfie" -- but it plucked my Read more...

Here are the basic rules of good communication: 1. The speaker can say what he or she thinks needs to be said, except for derogatory statements, shaming words, blaming words and globalizing words. Nothing to inflame the conversation. Just facts, feelings and true and honest thoughts. 2. The listener fully listens to what is being said -- even when having a reaction. Breathing through Read more...

See also: communication, listen, marriage, relationship, resolution, rules, speak

If you're getting married and are thinking about going into debt to pay for your wedding, you should think again. You'll be married (one hopes) for a lot longer if you don't finance your wedding than if you do. The No. 1 cause of marital stress and divorce is, you guessed it, fighting over money! And why would you want to be paying off a one-day event years after the fact instead of having fun? Read more...

Gardening and going for walks with your partner could be the key to a long-lasting marriage, according to research. These and other shared activities are far more important for years of wedded bliss than physical or emotional intimacy, the Edinburgh University study found. And the role of marriage in the wider picture of relationships with friends and family came as a surprise to Read more...

Women should wed a man who is uglier than them if they want a happy marriage, according to new research. Psychologists found that men who were better looking than their wives were more likely to be unhappy dealing with married life. But guys with prettier partners tended to be more content, said the University of Tennessee. They rated 82 newlywed couples on their looks then got Read more...

They're not too tired and they've got the time. That's just one of the things that surprised us when we researched and wrote our new book, He's Just Not Up for It Anymore: Why Men Stop Having Sex and What You Can Do About It. In spite of the fact that studies reveal there are 40 million people in "sexless" marriages in the United States, (loosely defined as marriages in which spouses Read more...

See also: erectile dysfunction, marriage, sex, sexual, sexual dysfunction, sexual intercourse

To feel that the man you live with and love no longer desires you is confusing and painful. You may blame yourself, and think, "I'm no longer attractive to him," or "I'm overweight." You may blame him, convincing yourself, "He's too tired," or believing, "He watches too much online porn." When we began researching and writing "He's Just Not Up Read more...

See also: erectile dysfunction, intimatcy, marriage, sex

QUESTION: You've written that according to your research, the number one reason men give for not having sex with their wives is: "She's not sexually adventurous enough." What do they men mean by that? And don't women have legitimate complaints of that nature too? ANSWER: The real question is not what "sexually adventurous" means, but what it represents. For most couples, the Read more...

As boomers grow older, history shared between longtime partners becomes more valuable. But keeping love alive can be challenging. "A long-standing intimate shared history cannot be replaced," says Albuquerque, N.M.-based, marriage and relationship counselor Nancy Romero. Romero, a boomer, says that valuing deep connections, whether in marriage or friendship, is part of an Read more...