

Specifically, the team looked at whether ISS in the DMN was related to specific factors of marital satisfaction, including personality, communication, and conflict resolution. In addition, the researchers also examined what role the default mode network (DMN) - a brain network linked to thoughts, emotions, or beliefs about oneself and others - played in marital happiness. The team also used dimensional and categorical analyses to determine whether the ISS between married couples was associated with marital satisfaction. The scientists analyzed the data by computing intersubject synchronization (ISS) between married couples. The scientists hoped to identify whether married couples showed more brain activity synchronization than randomly selected male-female pairs.
ROMANTIC PHOTO ON SLEEPING COUPLE MOVIE
Then, the participants underwent fMRI scans of the brain while viewing relationship-related and object-related movie clips. The participants also completed the Big Five Personality Inventory. Investigating the neurobiology of marital satisfactionįirst, the research team determined whether behavioral or personality factors predicted marital happiness by having study participants complete several questionnaires on marital satisfaction and adult attachment.

The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Moreover, in contrast to other research, the scientists found no significant association between marital satisfaction and age, sex, personality traits, or marriage length. Specifically, they found that heterosexual married partners who reported higher marital satisfaction also had synchronized brain activity when viewing marriage-related images. However, a new study from Stanford University researchers in collaboration with scientists in China has uncovered more insight into marital satisfaction. Still, scientists have yet to fully understand if this synchronicity between romantic partners indicates greater relationship satisfaction. For instance, a 2021 study found evidence of personality synchrony over time within older adult couples.

In addition, over time, harmonious couples often begin to think and behave in similar ways. Interpersonal factors and mental health also played a role, along with occupation, length of the marriage, age, and the number of children a couple had. For example, a 2016 systematic review of research found that religion, sex, and communication impacted marital satisfaction. So far, research has identified several factors that may contribute to an individual’s happiness in their relationship. Yet, scientists are only beginning to understand why some couples report happiness within a relationship and others do not experience this type of relationship satisfaction. Marital satisfaction and romantic compatibility have been the subject of research for decades.
