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The Science of Wedded Bliss: What the Data Says About Generosity · Doing Marriage Well

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  Doing Marriage Well for June 25, 2026 The Science of Wedded Bliss What the Data Says About Generosity,
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  Would proof that generosity is good for your marriage encourage you to be more
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  generous? If so, this podcast is for you.
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  The survey of marital generosity talked to 1,365 couples.
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  They found that generosity was positively associated with marital satisfaction
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  and negatively associated with marital conflict and a perceived likelihood of divorce.
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  The study defined generosity as small acts of kindness, displays of respect
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  and affection, and a willingness to forgive one's spouse his or her faults.
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  The study, When Baby Makes Three, the 2011 State of Our Unions,
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  a report from the National Marriage Project, went further.
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  The author of the study said, Generosity is an important and sometimes overlooked
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  dimension of marriage and family life.
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  Generosity was defined as the virtue of giving good things freely and abundantly,
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  and was played out in four specific ways.
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  Small acts of service, the expression of affection, displays of respect,
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  and a willingness to forgive mistakes and failings.
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  The study listed generosity as the third most important predictor in its top
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  five predictors of marital happiness.
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  In marriages where generosity was below average, only 14% of husbands and wives
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  said they were very happy in their marriage.
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  In marriages where generosity was above average, 46% of husbands and 50% of
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  wives said they were very happy in their marriage.
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  Yet another study found that religiosity is positively associated with marital
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  generosity. So those who follow Jesus have a leg up on this.
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  The same study determined that the most potent predictor of generosity was spouses
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  personally dedicated to their partner and to continuing the relationship.
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  These reports suggest to me that a solid path to wedded bliss may be found by
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  embracing an ethic of generosity that encompasses a spirit of service,
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  frequent displays of affection, and a willingness to forgive the faults and
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  failings of one's spouse.
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  To get started, pick one of the study's four pillars, an act of service,
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  an expression of affection, a display of respect, or letting a minor mistake
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  go, and do it before the sun goes down.
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  This is Paul, and the data shows generosity is at the heart of doing marriage well.