Commitment to marriage

Psychologists at UCLA have recently carried out a study to find out what commitment to marriage really means. A deeper level of commitment, the psychologists report, is a much better predictor of lower divorce rates and fewer problems in marriage.

"When people say, 'I'm committed to my relationship,' they can mean two things," said study co-author Benjamin Karney. "One thing they can mean is, 'I really like this relationship and want it to continue.' However, commitment is more than just that."

According to senior study author, Thomas Bradbury, the second type of commitment means being committed to doing whatever it takes to make the relationship work.

Of the 172 married couples in the study, 78.5% were still married after eleven years, and 21.5% were divorced. The couples in which both people were willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the marriage were more effective in solving their problems, and were significantly more likely to have lasting and happy marriages.

"It's a robust finding," Bradbury said. "The second kind of commitment predicted lower divorce rates and slower rates of deterioration in the relationship."