A study titled “Development of Relationship Satisfaction Across the Life Span: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” was published in the Psychological Bulletin in 2021 by Janina Larissa Bühler, Samantha Krauss, and Ulrich Orth. The main results are:
- Relationship satisfaction decreased from age 20 to 40, reached a low point at age 40, then increased until age 65, and plateaued in late adulthood. This pattern suggests a U-shaped trend for age.
- Relationship satisfaction decreased during the first 10 years of the relationship, reached a low point at 10 years, increased until 20 years, and then decreased again. This pattern suggests a more complex and dynamic pattern for relationship duration.
- Relationship satisfaction decreased within a given relationship, with the largest declines in young adulthood and in the first years of a relationship. This pattern suggests that relationship satisfaction is influenced by both internal and external factors that vary over time.
- The presence of children was associated with lower levels of relationship satisfaction
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Read the study: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2022-16081-001.html
