Studies show that same sex couples have happier marriages

Straight people, it’s time to step up your game in relationships. According to a recent study, couples in gay relationships apparently have happier marriages than straight people, particularly for men in same-sex marriages.A New York Times op-ed about the topic referenced a study called “Marital Strain and Psychological Distress in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples,” published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Essentially, it showed that men in same-sex marriages suffer from less “psychological distress” than those in straight marriages.In terms of ranking, married gay men face the least amounts of stress in their relationships, then married lesbians and men in heterosexual marriages somewhere in the middle. Women in heterosexual marriages reportedly face the highest level of stress in their relationships. These results came from daily diary entries about stress related to marriage and their partner, drawn from "756 midlife U.S. men and women in 378 gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages.”Most of the potential reasons for the divide in these levels, particularly between heterosexual men and women, are related to traditional expectations of gender. Women today in different-sex relationships are still impacted by historical assumptions, like the expectation that they should be the ones to perform most of the household chores rather than their male partners. This can lead to most domestic responsibilities falling on the woman’s shoulders out of habit, adding to any other stressors like career responsibilities.People in same-sex marriages must create their own rules in their relationships around task sharing, usually leading it to be more evenly divided between partners. For men in same-sex marriages, they’re more likely to discuss their sexuality and non-monogamy, as well as create rules around sexual encounters outside of their relationship (if any occur).Additionally, couples in same-sex marriages usually spend more time with their children, leading to happier lives. This is in part because in comparison to straight couples, gay couples have a much lower percentage of children who are unplanned or unwanted.“Many different-sex couples would have happier and more satisfying marriages if they took a few lessons from their same-sex counterparts,” says Stephanie Cootz, the author of Marriage: A History. Sounds like she might be right!