Study: You're Least Happy Spending Time with Your Spouse

There’s a saying that friends are the family we choose. Basically, it means that we have no choice in regards to the families into which we are born, but we do choose our friends, or the people by whom we surround ourselves; and we often feel a closeness with our friends which can be more intimate than the relationships with our families.

So, it comes as no surprise that a recent study found that people are said to be happier spending time with their friends than with their families. Source.

Here’s the clincher, though: It is suggested that people are least happy when spending time with a spouse!

Okay, so friends are the family we choose, but a spouse is also chosen… And expected to be FOR LIFE! So, what happened to “I married my best friend?”

Well, maybe the best friend was a best friend as long as there was a bit of distance, and you didn’t have to share everything.

No, seriously, according to the study, what makes us happier when we’re with our friends is the fact that we’re usually doing something fun while most of our time with our families is spent taking care of the necessities. It is said that 65 percent of the time we spend with our friends, we’re socializing while we usually socialize with a significant other only 28 percent of the time.

If these numbers are accurate, it would appear that married couples place less emphasis on the activities they enjoy in favor of responsibility. Is there anything that can fix this? If you’re happily married and like spending time with your spouse more than others, there must be various activities you look forward to doing together. What are they?

Do you have regular date nights? Do laundry together? Make music (outside the bedroom)? What joins you and keeps you happy as a couple?