Altruistic Love Related to Happier Marriages

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Altruistic Love Related to Happier Marriages

Thu Feb 9, 12:00 PM ET

Altruism may breed better marriages, a new study suggests. Or, the

data might mean that good marriages make people more altruistic.

Whatever, altruism and happiness seem to go together in the realm of

love.

" Altruistic love was associated with greater happiness in general

and especially with more marital happiness, " concludes Tom of

the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago in

a report released today.

I do

Study participants were asked whether they agreed with statements

that define altruism, such as, " I'd rather suffer myself than let

the one I love suffer, " and " I'm willing to sacrifice my own wishes

to let the one I love achieve his or hers. "

Those who agreed with the statements tended to also report happiness

with their spouses.

Among the more altruistic, 67 percent rated their own marriage

as " very happy. " Among those who were profiled as the least

altruistic, only 50 percent said they were very happy in marriage.

And here's one for those of you who're still waiting for your

partner to commit: Forty percent of the married people ranked near

the top for altruistic responses, while only 20 percent of those who

had never married did so. The divorced and separated came in at

around 25 percent.

The study asked dozens of questions to gauge both altruistic

intentions and behaviors. How often do you give blood? Do you return

money when a cashier makes a mistake in your favor?

Rising altruism

In a separate finding, looked at a similar study from 2002 and

found that altruistic feelings are on the rise. The number of people

having " tender, concerned feelings toward the less fortunate " rose 5

percent, to 75 percent.

speculated why:

" People have been suffering more negative life events than in the

past and as such there is greater need for caring and assistance, "

he said. " Likewise, there is greater disparity between the rich and

the poor with the lot of the former, but not of the latter,

improving in recent years. "

It's not known if altruism begets a good marriage or vice versa.

But said connection between romantic love and altruistic

behavior probably comes from an appreciation of love developed in a

healthy marriage and reflects the connection between marriage and

love in general, which is part of the teachings of many religions.

The study found that people who pray every day performed, on

average, 77 acts of altruism a year vs. 60 for those who never pray.

Men vs. women

Altruistic love scores were higher for women who are homemakers than

women who work outside the home. Men scored higher than women. " This

may be because there is an element of heroic stoicism and being a

protector, " writes in the report.

Altruism runs higher among older people and those with college

educations.

also analyzed empathy, described as feeling protective of

others or concerned for the less fortunate. Some of the findings:

Women have a greater feeling of empathy than men.

Children from two-parent homes are more empathetic.

Girls raised by a single father are the least likely to develop

empathy.

Financial status bears little on altruism or empathy.

People who vote are more empathetic and altruistic.

Empathy is higher among those who fear crime.

Empathy is higher among those who support increased spending on

social programs.

The research was based on data from in-home surveys conducted every

two years with support from the National Science Foundation.

used data from the 2004 survey, of 1,329 adults, and compared it to

the 2002 results.