Abstract
Partnered individuals are happier than singles. This can be because partnership leads to more satisfactory subjective well-being or because happier people are more likely to find a partner. We analyze Dutch panel data to investigate whether there is a causal effect of partnership on subjective well-being. Our data allow us to distinguish between marriage and cohabitation and between same-sex partnerships and opposite-sex ones. Our results support the short-term crisis model and adaptation theory. We find that marital partnership improves well-being and that these benefits are homogeneous to sexual orientation. The well-being gains of marriage are larger than those of cohabitation. Investigating partnership formation and disruption, we discover that the well-being effects are symmetric. Finally, we find that marriage improves well-being for both younger and older cohorts while cohabitation only benefits younger cohort.
Highlights
In the past decades, numerous studies in economics, sociology, and demography emerged on the relationship between partnership and well-being or happiness.1 This literature has predominantly asserted a positive association between marriage and wellbeing (Carr and Springer 2010; Diener and Suh 1997; Gove and Shin 1989; Kalmijn 2017; Umberson and Karas Montez 2010; Waite and Gallagher 2000)
We analyze Dutch panel data to investigate whether partnership has a causal effect on subjective well-being, finding that this is the case
As in a few previous studies, we find that well-being gains of marriage are larger than those of cohabitation, a result that may be related to different investment levels of tangible and intangible capital
Summary
Numerous studies in economics, sociology, and demography emerged on the relationship between partnership and well-being or happiness. This literature has predominantly asserted a positive association between marriage and wellbeing (Carr and Springer 2010; Diener and Suh 1997; Gove and Shin 1989; Kalmijn 2017; Umberson and Karas Montez 2010; Waite and Gallagher 2000). Cohabitation may have smaller positive effects on well-being than marriage Because the former is usually regarded as a trial marriage, cohabitants may invest lower levels of tangible and intangible capital (Michael 2004) in their partnership than married couples do (Nock 1995; Soons et al 2009; Stanley et al 2004). Fingerhut and Maisel (2010) claimed that having a domestic partnership (closer to marriage than to cohabitation legally) alleviates negative effects of stress on life satisfaction for sexual minorities. Wight et al (2013) found that sexual minorities in marriage and domestic partnerships have identical levels of psychological distress, which are lower than those of sexual minority singles and higher than those of different-sex married couples. Fingerhut and Maisel (2010) claimed that having a domestic partnership (closer to marriage than to cohabitation legally) alleviates negative effects of stress on life satisfaction for sexual minorities. Riggle et al (2010) found that sexual minorities in legally recognized relationships report less psychological distress and higher well-being than those in committed relationships and that a similar gap exists between those in committed relationships and singles. Wight et al (2013) found that sexual minorities in marriage and domestic partnerships have identical levels of psychological distress, which are lower than those of sexual minority singles and higher than those of different-sex married couples. Gorman et al (2015) discovered that only among different-sex couples do women report significantly different physical health from men; among sexual minorities, gender differences in physical health do not exist
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