Is a married human being happier than unmarried one?
I agree with what others have said: it depends on the marriage. I think if you can manage to get along, enjoy each others company, and live life in the same way (shared likes, hobbies, daily timetable, etc) then you have a shot at being happy. But if, over time, you grow apart and no longer enjoy similar things or find yourselves living different lifestyles or constantly arguing, you may become adversaries, and then it's time to move on.
Personally, I am happier being married. Of course, some of that happiness is because I was FINALLY 'allowed' to marry the man I love. More to the point, I am content. It's cliche, but I got my 'happily ever after.'
So, you're in an "open marriage"?
@Condor5 I am. ?
@BearsNPenn, well, that sounds enlightened.
@Condor5 It doesn't work for everyone. But he and I have a very clear understanding about what we can and can't do.
Depends on the people.
I think we're taught from early childhood that we can't be happy if we're single and/or childfree. For myself, the so-called American dream of a spouse, 2.5 children and a house with a white picket fence is a nightmare I would do pretty much anything to avoid.
Though I need to be back with my ex like I need a hole in the head, nevertheless I miss the anchor that being married provides.
@LetzGetReal Yeah, not really what I meant.
....hahaha, that's like asking, "Is a bird that can fly happier than one than cannot?"
@LetzGetReal touche...but I did once know a penguin who tried and tried, refused to give up hope, until one day he flung himself over a freeway overpass and, no wait, that was my friends uncle Pete, never mind....
It depends. Married people can be happier. So can single. Sometimes marriage is more stress. Imagine this scene from the past. I see this man with his arm around his wife as TV shows are discussed. He says "as for me and this house nobody here watches 90210." That's interesting. He has his hand up his wife's ass like a puppet. I'm sure it was a stressful relationship in a stressful household. I say this and I have never personally watched 90210 myself. It's just that who are you to speak for other people and what they can watch on TV?
I think being happy is something that you allow yourself to be.
People in good marriages are probably happier than most single people and are probably way happier than people in bad marriages.
As for the single people they'll have to learn to be happy with themselves first.
Marriage isn't a pass to happiness.
Also human beings aren't designed to be ridiculously happy all the time.
Insufficient data. Does not compute.
Ha ha ha.... I stand correct... Brilliant minds think alike !!
Living with your best friend, someone who has always got your back has huge benefits, living with your worst enemy on the other hand is sheer hell. I've known people with long and happy marriages (30 years+) and that is hard to beat, but not all marriages are like that and marriage itself is not for everyone.
@LetzGetReal I tend to use the term married fairly loosely in relation to this question as basically long-term monogamous (or not by mutual consent) relationship between adults usually involving cohabiting. My godparents ( who as far as I know are atheists the whole christening thing was to shut my mother up) lived together 25+ years before they actually married (not a church do) after they'd been in a car accident (realized it made the legal stuff simpler), they were still together in there 90s, three bedrooms: his, hers and theirs.
That probably depends on what poll or study you read. There were times, probably most of the time, when I was happy while married. But, being unattached also has it's benefits. I'm not sure marriage is even relevant anymore, except for certain tax or insurance benefits. It's an archaic institution, otherwise, put in place to control women.
But, as far as the happiness thing, that at least in my personal experience, ebbs and flows like the tide, whether tethered by matrimony, or not. The difference is having someone to "share" those times with.
It depends entirely on the person and the situation. I was very happy in my marriage for many years, and very upset and unhappy for quite a while after it ended. I'm the type of person that needs others in my life. But I am learning to be happy alone, and it is making me "grow up", so maybe someday I'll see it as a good thing.