Do people really adapt to marriage?

Richard E. Lucas and Andrew Clark
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Richard E. Lucas: DIW Berlin - Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Michigan State University [East Lansing] - Michigan State University System

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Abstract: Although cross-sectional studies have shown a reliable association between marital status and subjective well-being, a recent longitudinal study [Lucas et al. 2003, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 84(3), pp.␣527-539] found no support for the idea that happiness increases after marriage. Instead, participants who got married reported short-term increases followed by complete adaptation back to baseline levels of well-being. However, researchers have criticized this study on two grounds. First, these results contradict cohort-based analyses from a nationally representative sample. Second, these analyses do not control for pre-marriage cohabitation, which could potentially inflate baseline levels of well-being. The original data (plus four additional waves) are reanalyzed to address these concerns. Results confirm that individuals do not get a lasting boost in life satisfaction following marriage.

Keywords: Subjective well being; Marriage; Adaptation; Happiness; Setpoint theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-11
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (65)

Published in Journal of Happiness Studies, 2006, 7 (4), pp.405-426. ⟨10.1007/s10902-006-9001-x⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: DO PEOPLE REALLY ADAPT TO MARRIAGE? (2006)
Working Paper: Do people really adapt to marriage? (2005)
Working Paper: Do people really adapt to marriage? (2005)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00754117

DOI: 10.1007/s10902-006-9001-x

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