The Guardian

If you're in a bad marriage, don't try to mend it – end it | Nichi Hodgson

Research shows the impact of unhappy marriages on health. Sometimes it’s better to walk away than to stay
‘Calling time on a relationship where one party simply isn’t in love with the other would be, in the eyes of many a therapist, a successful negotiation out of marriage.’ Photograph: vgajic/Getty Images

“Mend it, don’t end it” has long been the conservative mantra governing many a struggling marriage. But now, the research we’ve long needed to shoot a cupid’s arrow through the stultifying notion that any marriage is better than none is here.

has confirmed what the emotionally astute among us have always suspected: that constant strife does not lead to a happy life – and that sisyphean arguments about core issues such as children, money, in-laws and leisure activities all negatively activate the release

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian6 min read
Fallen Kingdom: Why Has Disney Had Such A Terrible Year?
For its 100th anniversary this year, Disney received a bucket of ice-cold water to the face. It may sound momentary, but somehow it’s the gift that has been giving all year, from the box office nosedive of Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel, to lower-than-expec
The Guardian4 min read
Michael Bishop obituary
Michael Bishop, who has died aged 78, wrote many stories that inhabit the borderlands between science fiction and mainstream, drawing on influences as diverse as Ray Bradbury and Jorge Luis Borges, Thomas M Disch and Philip K Dick, Dylan Thomas and T
The Guardian7 min read
Gwyneth Paltrow: Is Her Life A Work Of Performance Art?
Ripping to shreds Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop gift list has been a media preoccupation for years now, to the point that the website even titles it, “The ridiculous but awesome gift guide”. Still, even those not driven by well-documented animus towards Pal

Related Books & Audiobooks