Social exclusion caused a reduced in the perception of life as meaningful. Loneliness and rejection were associated with low meaning. Social exclusion reduced purpose, value, efficacy, and optimism. Zimmerman, A. Happily Ever After? Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorces, and Happiness in Germany. Population and Development Review 32 3 : Marriage may have a positive and lasting effect on well-being; however, the longevity of such gains is unclear.
Zimmerman and Easterlin reconsidered the same data set analyzed by Lucas, et al. The sample was, of first marriages among previously unmarried people, and data reflected life satisfaction two years prior to marriage and at least two years after marriage.
This study also considered the effects of subjective well-being on the formation of cohabiting unions prior to marriage. Two key results of the Lucas et al. This was identified as a key study because it is the longest-running panel to study subjective well-being. A hierarchical regression model was used to examine life satisfaction of married couples over time. Average life satisfaction of the participants prior to marriage formed the baseline.
Finally, the researchers measured the difference in life satisfaction from baseline values in individuals who divorced after two or more years of marriage. The baseline value of life satisfaction in this sample 0. As in previous studies, formation of cohabiting unions prior to marriage raised life satisfaction significantly from baseline values 0. During the first year of marriage, life satisfaction increased to a value of.
Nevertheless, married individuals were still happier, on average, then they were in their baseline period. Findings suggest that the formation of successful unions β cohabiting or marital β positively affects well-being, with no significant difference based on the type of union.
