According to Jason S. Carol of Brigham
Young University in Provo, Utah, the answer is a resounding no. His view is based on a scientific study described in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy (Volume
10, Issue
4)
last year. He interviewed almost 2,000 couples to determine the
influence of materialism on marriage.
The results were astounding: “We found that materialism had a negative association with marital quality, even when spouses were unified in their materialistic values. Marriages in which both spouses reported low materialism were better off on several features of marital quality when compared to couples where one or both spouses reported high materialism.”
In other words, even if both spouses had the same hashkafa on materialism, that alone did not suffice to create a happier marriage. However, if they both downplayed materialism, he found that it was directly correlated with a happier marriage. What a statement of priorities!
The results were astounding: “We found that materialism had a negative association with marital quality, even when spouses were unified in their materialistic values. Marriages in which both spouses reported low materialism were better off on several features of marital quality when compared to couples where one or both spouses reported high materialism.”
In other words, even if both spouses had the same hashkafa on materialism, that alone did not suffice to create a happier marriage. However, if they both downplayed materialism, he found that it was directly correlated with a happier marriage. What a statement of priorities!
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