WHY EVERYBODY LOVES SCIENTISTS

Marriage rollercoaster mostly downhill (John Elliott and Roger Dobson, The Australian, February 13th, 2006)

We talk about the ups and downs of married life: now scientists have provided the evidence to identify just when you can expect those peaks and troughs.

The study confirms newly-wedded bliss -- usually before the arrival of children -- is the happiest time.

But the report highlights the way in which almost all marriages lose their magic as feelings of happiness slip back to the levels before the couple met.

Romantics will take comfort in the finding that, on average, every successful marriage benefits from a strong honeymoon effect, lasting approximately a year. Only those destined for divorce will experience a fall in happiness in the first year of married life.

Thereafter even couples set to stay together for the long haul should expect a sharp decline for two years, with only a mild recovery between years three and five before the slide begins again. After 10 years happiness, levels are slightly lower than before marriage.

But overall marriage does make people happier.

Behold, the promise of the Enlightenment.