Truth #3: Combining money produces higher levels of commitment to the marriage.
Our financial choices don’t just reveal our hearts – they steer our hearts. The research found that sharing finances improved feelings of commitment in the marriage – and that commitment is an essential factor for bringing marriages through during difficult times.
Why would combining finances lead to more commitment, rather than just the other way around? Researchers pinpointed that the more people felt they had invested in the relationship, the greater was their commitment, and then the greater was their happiness. The sense of investment itself appears to lead to relationship happiness!
This brand-new finding adds to what we found in our own research for The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: commitment increases the likelihood of happiness in marriage!
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