Researchers have shown that over the course of a lifetime, happiness generally follows a U-shaped curve.
Happiness is high when you're young, dips in middle age, and rises again going into your golden years. This makes some intuitive sense: middle age tends to be a time when obligations to career and family are at their highest.
The stress of juggling child-rearing and long hours at the office can take a toll on one's sense of well-being.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were some way to mitigate that dip in middle-age happiness, flatten out that U a bit? Turns out there is: you can get married.
In a new working paper, economists Shawn Grover and John Helliwell show the effect of marriage on a lifetime of happiness.They find married people are generally happier, and that the “happiness bonus” from marriage is strongest right in middle age – when you need it the most.
