Review of "For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage"

I enjoy taking my kids to the library and perusing the stacks while they pick out their books and videos. Since my graduate work was in psychology and I am always intrigued by what research has to say about relationships, I was happy to come across science journalist Tara Parker-Pope's new book on marriage.

I am not married but found the book to be quite useful in finding ways to improve my relationship with my significant other. I explored, throughout the book, what the latest scientific studies conclude about the benefits of marriage, why relationships go sour, and what to do to improve your situation with your partner. Just about anyone that wants to improve their relationship or is contemplating marriage or divorce will benefit from the research in For Better.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section discusses the benefits of getting or staying married. The second section diagnoses the health of your relationship and how to improve it, examining typical areas of conflict. The third section guides you in giving your relationship a checkup. An appendix of 19 diagnostics gives the reader an opportunity to test his or her levels of passionate love, happiness of the marriage, likely areas of conflict, issues with money, marriage equality, boredom, and more.

My favorite sections of the book were the author's analysis of divorce rates (which are not as bad as I believed); how marriage in general and fights between marital partners impacts one's health; and proper rules for engaging in the inevitable marital spats.

The author's website is http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Tara-Parker-Pope/45635796/biography
She blogs on wellness issues for the New York Times.