The question is what factors are responsible for strong relationship between marriage and happiness? Are there any beneficial effects of marriage? Those who get married become happy? Regarding benefits of marriage Baumeister and Leary's (1995) argue that human beings have a basic need to belong. According to them and other authors, marriage is important for close, supportive and stable relationship for people's physical and emotional well-being. Close relationship iş among people's top life goals. As marriage is a major factor for the fulfillment of this basic need, the married people seem to have higher level of well- being and happiness. Marriage provides love, intimacy, affection, companionship and social support in times of crisis. The spouse and parents play important role that provides opportunities for personal growth and the development of new competencies that increase self-esteem and satisfaction.
Marriage happiness relationship is found to widely in various cultures. When marriage ends due to death, divorce or separation, there is significant decrease in the well-being and happiness. It indicates that a good and lasting married life is important to maintain happiness.
Those who are unmarried and living alone with few friends or confidants have higher level of emotional distress and metal illness, while there are lower chances of depression, loneliness and physical or mental health problems, in married people and they live longer than the people who are widowed, separated or divorced. Thus married people have better physical and mental health than unmarried people. Marriage helps people to overcome problems in their lives. A study conducted for seven years on 800 men and women reveals that there was decrease in rate of depression and alcoholism among those who remained single. But according to positive psychologists happy marriage life is important for the well being. So Myers says for that, “In terms of individual happiness, a bad marriage is worse than no marriage at all.”