If a couple places too much emphasis on money, their marriage is prone to crisis

If a couple attaches too much importance to money, their marriage is prone to crisis (Alberta Times) Researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah said that couples who value money and possessions too much are likely to have trouble in their marriage...

(Alberta Times)

Researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah said that couples who place too much emphasis on money and possessions are likely to have marital problems, while couples who place less emphasis on material things are happier in their marriages. Researchers surveyed 1,734 couples to explore the impact that couples' value differences on materialism may have on marriage, and found that even if couples share the same values, materialism has a negative impact on marital quality. This study found that couples in which one or both parties attach great importance to material things are usually emotionally immature, lack effective communication channels, tend to resolve conflicts in more negative ways, are less satisfied with the marital relationship, and have less stable marriages. The study found that one out of every five couples in which both partners admitted to loving money had poor marital stability, marital satisfaction, communication skills, and other indicators of a healthy marriage. One out of every seven couples, both of whom do not pay much attention to material things, scores 10% to 15% higher on various indicators such as marital quality and marital satisfaction. Interestingly, couples' attitudes toward materialism and their marital status were consistent with this conclusion, regardless of actual financial status. Researchers have found that couples who share common values ​​usually have more successful marriages. However, if only one partner pays attention to material things, the partner who does not pay attention to material things seems to be able to become the pillar of maintaining the marriage, making their marriages more satisfying, better communicative, and more stable than couples where both partners pay attention to material things. Don Catherall, a professor of behavioral science at Northwestern University in Chicago, said that this does not necessarily mean that materialism itself harms marital relationships. Material-oriented personality may be caused by other factors, such as a lack of life or neglect in childhood, or it may be too focused on making money and not investing time and effort in marriage. Susan Heitler, a clinical psychologist in Denver, said that materialistic people are often narcissistic and want to be admired by others. They are prone to psychological anxiety and depression, have poor interpersonal skills, and lack self-esteem. These traits may lead to marital problems.