Long-term satisfying marriages: perceptions of contributing factors

This article reports on the second phase of a study conducted in the United States of couples married between 25 and 46 years. Responses of these 57 couples closely match those received from the original group of 20 couples in terms of the essential ingredients for a long-term satisfying marriage. Further validation of the efficacy of the data is derived from recent similar studies that are all part of an international research project conducted in Sweden, Germany, and Israel. Common characteristics, which emerge despite differences in religion, socioeco-nomic status, ethnicity, geographic locale, and other demographic variables, are discussed.