Full disclosure, brides: Marriage is hard! Yes, it’s fun and amazing and beautiful and happy and exciting, but it can also sometimes be just plain difficult. That’s why there’s a portion of the traditional marriage vows that addresses the whole “…for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” thing. Low times happen, and in marriage, you’ve got to be able to weather the storm.
So when we stumbled across this TED Talk about marriage by author Jenna McCarthy, we just had to share it with you. McCarthy shines a light on the benefits of marriage, as well as some of the research-proven characteristics that make a marriage last. Her satirical style may not be for everyone, but we find it inspiring, genunine and witty.
According to McCarthy and her research, there are more than 1,000 legal benefits of marriage. Married people make more money, are more physically and emotionally healthy, produce happier and more stable children, have more sex and live longer.
Just a few of the characteristics that make a lasting marriage aren’t surprising: Focusing on the positive despite the circumstances, and our favorite, male partners who willingly do housework. Apparently, women tend to find them more attractive (duh!).
You’ll have to watch the video to find out more. It’s about 11 minutes long and worth every minute. McCarthy is the author of the books If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon and The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties, among others.
