Odd Things, That Work

This presentation about what people supposedly do not know about marriage really surprised me. I went back and tried to find a different answer to my first blog post, so what makes a marriage work? Some of the points covered by Jenna are odd, and I have never thought of before.

***so the embedded video does not seem to be working watch the video here!***

It is crazy to think that a marriage is more likely to be successful if the wife is thinner and more attractive, than the husband. I think that looks are almost irrelevant in a relationship, granted you have to be attracted to your spouse, but that should not be a contributing factor to a successful marriage or for that matter a failed one. Another study also shows that the happiest couples are the ones that focus on the positives of any situation. I agree with this because if you are always being negative it will take an emotional toll on you, and eventually those around you, like your spouse. I also agree with the study proving that the willingness of a man to do housework correlates with how attractive his spouse will find him. Who wouldn’t like more domestic help, yes I am not married or anything but I can’t find anything wrong with some help around the house. Another study that she brought up in the presentation showed that if you have childhood pictures of you smiling, or looking genuinely happy, you are less likely to get a divorce. This idea seems a little far-fetched for my taste, but hey, research is research. However I do believe that watching a romantic comedy cause’s relationship satisfaction to plummet, because your man will rarely live up the fictional expectations girls have, that have been set in place by movie writers and actors like Channing Tatum. 

In tack families contributing to academic success

In this article I found from ewtn news covering the research showing the children from intact  biological marriages have greater overall academic success, than those with disrupted families. The College Board showed that in 2011 the SAT reading scores were the lowest of the past 40 years. This is because the parents in a intact marriage, with biological children have higher expectations, and are more involved in school work and other activities. These children are more likely to care about ding well in school, graduating from high school, enter and complete a 4 year college degree program, and are less likely to be expelled or suspended from school. This research shows that strengthening a family is fundamental to bring up the next generations overall academic success.

I think that the research and results of this study make sense because in families where both parents are involved in their children's lives, it is hard for them to essentially "slip through the cracks." I think that within a family in which the parents are involved they will watch over their children, and be more hands on in tracking grades, and keeping the children from acting out in school. The success of the next generation depends greatly on the strong foundation that parents and families provide to the children especially during development. 

what makes a marriage successful?

For the first article, I wanted to find out what common components make or contribute to a successful marriage, and see if I agree with them or not. Through this article  I was able to find a list of characteristics that the popular talk show host Dr. Phil believes makes marriages successful. His list emphasizes that marriage takes effort, and what you put in is essentially what you get back. He also states in the article to forget right from wrong, and focus on what you are doing and whether or not it is working. Another important point he makes is that action and non- verbal communication speaks much louder than words. In this article I was not able to find a point that he made, that I truly disagree with. However he makes many excellent points which I agree with, and I want to explain why.

I agree with what Dr. Phil had to say in this article because I think that it touches upon a lot of important aspects in a marriage and offers points on what makes a successful marriage just that, successful. I agree with him 100% that whatever effort you put into something you will get back, especially if your partner is on the same page as you. It’s similar to anything, if you don’t try to get what you want you obviously will not get it, unless you’re one of the luck few who gets things handed to them. Learning what I have from Psychology I know that body language and facial expressions completely give away what one is thinking or feeling. For example if your arms are always crossed in the presence of your spouse then you are psychically closing yourself off. It’s important to the success of a marriage to open up to your spouse. By showing them you still care through your actions. It is clear in almost any situation that actions speak louder than words, so in a successful marriage this needs to be understood.