A new study suggests that altruistic love makes better marriages (link).
Really, I'm shocked. A quote:
Study participants were asked whether they agreed with statements that define altruism, such as, "I'd rather suffer myself than let the one I love suffer," and "I'm willing to sacrifice my own wishes to let the one I love achieve his or hers."
Those who agreed with the statements tended to also report happiness with their spouses.
Well, thanks for the news flash. You mean that in a loving and successful marriage, loving the other person is important. Loving them so much that you would rather hurt than see them hurt, can make a difference. Wow, I never would have guessed.
Actually, I didn't have to guess...I have a Bible.
I'd rather suffer myself than let the one I love suffer
Sounds like one of the basic foundations of Christianity to me, and to be fair many faiths feel this way. My wife and I had a little laugh over this. If you don't feel that way, why get married to begin with?
What really makes me laugh is the surprised tone of the article. It is filled with winning phrases like:
Forty percent of the married people ranked near the top for altruistic responses, while only 20 percent of those who had never married did so. The divorced and separated came in at around 25 percent.
and the classic:
It's not known if altruism begets a good marriage or vice versa.
The shocking:
The study found that people who pray every day performed, on average, 77 acts of altruism a year vs. 60 for those who never pray.
How can I get paid to do one of these studies? I have a bunch of good ones:
"Breathing will help you not die."
"People who sleep are better rested."
"Seeing is easier with your eyes open."
wow...I get sarcastic early in the morning.
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