You can rely on our extensive research.

Improved Couple Satisfaction and Communication through Marriage and Relationship Programs: Are there Gender Differences? – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic Reviews, 2021

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized studies on marriage and relationship programs, showing significant improvements in couples' communication and relationship satisfaction and examining potential gender differences.

Within-Couple Associations Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Over Time

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2021

Longitudinal study showing that fluctuations in communication quality within the same couple predict subsequent changes in relationship satisfaction, highlighting within-couple dynamics.

Objective Assessments of Relationship Competencies Across Multiple Domains as Predictors of Marital Satisfaction Trajectories

Journal of Family Psychology, 2008

Study of 101 couples showing that premarital skills in communication, support, decision-making, and conflict management predict marital satisfaction trajectories over the first three years of marriage.

Perceptions of Gratitude from a Romantic Partner Predict Declines in Attachment Anxiety

Developmental Psychology, 2019

Seven-year longitudinal study (n = 2,057) showing that perceiving above-average partner gratitude predicts lower attachment anxiety at the same time point and one year later, independent of changes in global relationship satisfaction.

Partner Expressions of Gratitude Protect Relationship Satisfaction and Commitment from the Harmful Effects of Attachment Insecurity

Psychological Science, 2019

Five studies indicating that perceiving frequent expressions of gratitude from a partner buffers the negative association between attachment avoidance (and sometimes anxiety) and both satisfaction and commitment.

Development of Relationship Satisfaction Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Psychological Bulletin, 2021

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 165 samples (165,039 participants) mapping normative patterns of relationship satisfaction as a function of age and relationship duration, showing both declines and increases over time.

How Does a Couple's Relationship Last Over Time? A Model for Marital Satisfaction

Psychological Reports, 2021

Study of 331 married individuals linking communication patterns, cohesion, flexibility, and motivational factors to marital satisfaction across the family life cycle.

Perceptions of Gratitude from a Romantic Partner Predict Declines in Attachment Anxiety

Developmental Psychology, 2019

Shows that perceived partner gratitude shapes long-term trajectories of attachment anxiety in existing romantic relationships.

Partner Expressions of Gratitude Protect Relationship Satisfaction and Commitment from the Harmful Effects of Attachment Insecurity

Psychological Science, 2019

Indicates that perceived partner expressions of gratitude buffer insecurely attached individuals against low satisfaction and commitment, with some evidence for longer-term benefits.

Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development

Little, Brown, 2002

A monograph summarizing decades of findings from the Grant Study, showing that warm relationships, adaptive coping mechanisms, and generativity predict healthy aging and life satisfaction more strongly than early IQ or socioeconomic status.

Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study

Harvard University Press, 2012

Synthesis of a long-term follow-up study highlighting that close relationships and emotional maturity are crucial for happiness and successful aging in the Grant Study cohort.

Quantifying happiness: Reviewing the Harvard Study of Adult Development

Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 2009

Review quantifying the associations between relationship quality and life satisfaction in the world's longest-running study of adult development.

Changes in life satisfaction over six years in the general population: A longitudinal study with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)

PLOS ONE, 2025

Six-year population study using the SWLS documenting stability and changes in life satisfaction and its association with sociodemographic variables.

The U-Curve of Happiness Revisited: Correlations and Differences in Life Satisfaction Over the Span of Life

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

Cross-sectional German sample aged 12–94 showing a U-shaped pattern of life satisfaction, with lower scores in midlife compared to younger and older years.

LONGITUDINAL EVIDENCE FOR A MIDLIFE NADIR IN HUMAN WELL-BEING: RESULTS FROM FOUR DATA SETS

The Economic Journal, 2015

Econometric analysis across four longitudinal datasets demonstrating a robust low point in reported well-being in midlife, consistent with a U-shaped age-happiness curve.

Childhood Socioeconomic Status Shapes Beliefs About Hedonic Versus Eudaimonic Happiness: A Life History Approach

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2024

Survey study indicating that lower childhood socioeconomic status predicts stronger endorsement of hedonic happiness beliefs, while higher status is associated with eudaimonic beliefs.

From Happiness Orientations to Work Performance: The Mediating Role of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019

Shows that hedonic and eudaimonic orientations influence work performance via daily positive experiences at work.

The Different Roles of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities in Predicting Functioning and Well-Being Experiences

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2020

Diary research showing that hedonic motives relate more to momentary pleasure, whereas eudaimonic motives predict psychological functioning and meaning.

An Integrated Look at Well-Being: Topological Clustering of Combinations and Correlates of Hedonia and Eudaimonia

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2020

Cluster analysis showing distinct profiles combining hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, as well as their demographic and psychological correlates.

A genetic perspective on the relationship between eudaimonic and hedonic well-being

Scientific Reports, 2018

Twin and genomic analyses revealing substantial shared genetic contributions to both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.

Pathways from eudaimonic and hedonic motives to life satisfaction via response style

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2025

Longitudinal modeling showing that eudaimonic motives predict life satisfaction more strongly than purely hedonic motives via adaptive response styles.

Training for happiness: the impacts of different positive exercises on hedonism and eudaemonia

The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2016

Randomized intervention showing that different positive psychology exercises differentially increase hedonic pleasure versus eudaimonic meaning.

Marital Interaction and Satisfaction: A Longitudinal View

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1989

Seminal observational longitudinal study showing that couples' affective interaction patterns predict marital stability and divorce with high accuracy.

Marriage and Couples: The Gottman Institute Research Program

Research program overview, updated 2025

Series of longitudinal laboratory and home studies identifying key factors for marital success, such as the ratio of positive to negative interactions and effective conflict resolution.

When friendships surpass parental relationships as predictors of long-term outcomes: Adolescent relationship qualities and adult psychosocial functioning

Child Development, 2021

Longitudinal study showing that high-quality adolescent friendships predict adult psychological well-being and social functioning better than the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship.

Long-Term Predictions from Early Adolescent Attachment State of Mind to Romantic Relationship Behaviors

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2016

Evidence that secure versus insecure attachment representations in adolescents predict the quality of their romantic relationship behaviors years later.

Attachment across the lifespan: insights from adoptive families

Attachment & Human Development, 2019

Review of longitudinal adoption studies demonstrating both continuity and change in attachment relationships and their impact on adjustment.

Exploring the Association between Attachment Style, Psychological Well-Being, and Relationship Status in Young Adults and Adults

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 2023

Cross-sectional study linking secure attachment to higher psychological well-being and a more satisfying relationship status in adulthood.

Attachment and relationships: Milestones and future directions

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2010

Theoretical review summarizing decades of attachment research and outlining how attachment insecurity undermines the quality of close relationships.

Attachment: The What, the Why, and the Long-Term Effects

Frontiers for Young Minds, 2023

Introductory article summarizing evidence that early attachment relationships shape later emotion regulation, relationships, and resilience.

Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, and Beneficence: A Multicultural Comparison of the Four Pathways to Meaningful Work

Frontiers in Psychology, 2018

Cross-cultural study showing that basic psychological need satisfaction and beneficence strongly predict whether work is experienced as meaningful.

Meaningful Work and Satisfaction with Life: A Case Study from a Supported Employment Program—Colombia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022

Finds that experiencing work as meaningful significantly predicts global life satisfaction among people in supported employment.

Happy Work, Happy Life? A Replication and Comparison of the Longitudinal Effects Between Job and Life Satisfaction Using Continuous Time Meta-Analysis

Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2025

Continuous meta-analysis confirming bidirectional influences between job satisfaction and life satisfaction over time.

Meaningful Work, Happiness at Work, and Turnover Intentions

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023

Evidence that meaningful work and positive affect at work reduce employees' turnover intentions.

Meaningful work on career satisfaction: a moderated mediation model of job embeddedness and work-based social support

Management Research Review, 2020

Shows that meaningful work predicts career satisfaction partially via job embeddedness, especially when social support is high.

Career Advancement, Job Satisfaction, Career Retention, and Other Related Dimensions for Sustainability

Sustainability, 2023

Demonstrates how perceived career advancement opportunities contribute to job satisfaction and retention intentions among teachers.

Flow Theory and Research

Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2009

Review summarizing decades of flow research and defining conditions for optimal experience, such as the balance of challenge and skill.

Developments and Trends in Flow Research Over 40 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis

Collabra: Psychology, 2020

Maps the growth and diversification of flow research in areas such as work, education, and sports.

Mindsets and Skills that Promote Long-Term Learning

Stanford University working paper, 2014

Synthesizes evidence that growth mindsets and self-regulatory skills predict perseverance, achievement, and long-term learning gains.

Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control

W. H. Freeman, 1997

Foundational work detailing how self-efficacy beliefs shape motivation, resilience, and performance across various domains.

“Yes, I Can!” A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies Promoting Teacher Self-Efficacy

Review of Educational Research, 2024

Meta-analysis showing that targeted interventions can reliably increase teacher self-efficacy with medium effect sizes.

Self-Motivation for Academic Attainment: The Role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Personal Goal Setting

American Educational Research Journal, 1991

Demonstrates that self-efficacy and personal goals jointly predict academic achievement via self-regulated learning.

Using the VIA Classification to Advance a Psychological Science on Virtue

Frontiers in Psychology, 2020

Examines how VIA character strengths can be used to empirically explore moral virtues and their links to well-being.

Co-occurrence Patterns of Character Strengths and Core Virtues

Frontiers in Psychology, 2020

Shows that individuals with high levels of multiple VIA strengths also tend to score high on overarching virtues that predict life satisfaction.

Why Meaning in Life Matters for Societal Flourishing

Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2021

Argues and reviews evidence that meaning in life promotes individual resilience and prosocial engagement, benefiting societies.

Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation

American Psychologist, 2002

Integrative review showing that specific, challenging goals reliably improve performance and satisfaction compared to vague goals.

Psychological resilience: an update on definitions, a critical evaluation, and research recommendations

European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2020

Clarifies resilience as dynamic adaptation to adversity and summarizes factors such as flexible coping and social resources.

The Easterlin Paradox

IZA Discussion Paper 13923, 2021

Reviews decades of data showing that within a country, richer people are happier, but average happiness does not increase with national income over time.

A closer look at the Easterlin Paradox

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2011

Re-examines cross-national and time-series data to test whether the paradox holds across various datasets.

Spending on Experiences Versus Possessions Advances More Immediate Happiness

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2020

Evidence from experience sampling that people feel happier in the moment when consuming experiential rather than material purchases.

Experiences Make People Happier Than Material Goods

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2004

Shows that experiential purchases provide more enduring satisfaction and are more closely linked to identity and social connection.

Experiences Over Possessions Boosts Happiness

Integrative-Med.org summary article, 2020

Popular summary of empirical results explaining psychological mechanisms by which experiences outperform possessions in promoting happiness.