Research from Michigan State University scientists suggests that in the long run, people who are married are happier than those who remain single.
The study, which reflected data from thousands of participants in a long-running British survey, found that while being married doesn’t make people happier than they were when they were single, it does appear to “protect against normal declines in happiness during adulthood.”
“Our study suggests that people on average are happier than they would have been if they didn’t get married,” said researcher Stevie C.Y. Yap.
The original goal of the study was to see whether personality helps people adapt to major life events, such as marriage. The results essentially concluded that no, personality traits don’t help in cases such as losing a job or having a baby.
“Past research has suggested that personality is important in how people react to important life events,” Yap said. “But we found that there were no consistent effects of personality in how people react and adapt to these major events.”
The survey found that that similar-aged participants who did not get married showed a gradual decline in happiness as the years passed, while those who were married for the most part remained at a stable satisfaction level.

Source: Michigan State University