Scientists have discovered what makes marriages particularly strong

According to the authors of a paper published in the Journal of Elder Policy, the key to a long and happy marriage is unconditional support from a spouse.

The study included 200 African Americans who had been married for more than 20 years.

All participants were re-interviewed as part of the National Survey of American Life. The purpose was to examine what promotes stability and satisfaction in marital relationships.

What the study revealed:

• Emotional and practical support are the main pillars of a long-lasting union. It includes feeling cared for, acknowledged and helped during difficult times, such as illness or financial problems.

• Men receive more support. Consistent with other studies, men in marriage are more likely to report higher levels of support from their wife than vice versa.

• Negative interactions are common but rare. In general, criticism, complaints, and other conflicts were infrequent in these marriages. However, women were still more likely than men to report negative episodes in the relationship.

• Level of education, income and duration of marriage affect its quality. For example, higher levels of education and income correlate with greater support between spouses. And couples who have lived together longer experience fewer negative episodes.

Professor of public health and social work Linda Chatters highlights another surprising result:

"There appeared to be no difference between first and remarriages in terms of support and conflict," she says. - This contradicts the well-established view that remarriages are more fragile."

The authors note that the results may also be relevant to other racial and ethnic groups. Professor Antonius Skipper of Georgia State University and Professor Anne Nguyen of Case Western University, also co-authors of the study, emphasise the importance of support as a foundation not only for a happy marriage, but for social health in general.

Read more: Antonius D. Skipper et al, Spousal support and negative interactions among African Americans in long-term marriages, Journal of Elder Policy (2025). DOI: 10.1002/jey2.12015