EVANSTON, Ill., April 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests people considering marriage need to assess how their partner will help fulfill important responsibilities in the future.
Lead author Daniel Molden, assistant professor of psychology at Northwestern University, said dating relationships tend to revolve around whether things are moving forward and whether partners will support one another's hopes and dreams. Married couples, however, also put a high premium on partners' support of the responsibilities and obligations of everyday life.
"In other words, the feelings of being loved and supported that people use to judge who makes a good girlfriend or boyfriend may not be completely trustworthy in deciding who makes a good husband or wife," Molden said Wednesday in a release. "Those feelings may only partially capture the emotions that will determine your satisfaction with the person you marry."
Molden said people planning to get married should think about not only how their partners support what they hope to achieve but also about how their partners support what they feel obligated to accomplish.
The findings will be published in the July issue of Psychological Science.
