The Benefits Of Not Getting Married Just To Get Married

You’ll benefit from the fact that marrying later in life is a predictor of a lasting marriage.

 Far from being a disadvantage, marrying a bit later in life is one of the top five characteristics of marriages that last, as we shared in The Good News About Marriage. Now, of course, many “young” marriages are wonderful and last a lifetime. But those who marry at older ages are simply statistically more likely to stay married for a lifetime than those who marry young. (Researchers theorize this is because young couples don’t yet know themselves well and aren’t as prepared for the lifetime “for better or for worse-ness” of the commitment.)

If you wait a bit, you know that your marriage is far more likely to last a lifetime. It may sound funny, but that can give you confidence to approach conflicts and difficulties with the attitude that your marriage will get through this. And that sense of hope becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.