The Marriage Benefit

Scary times out there. If you're married, or headed that way, you may want to hunker down with your honey and ride out the headlines.

Marriage, says my guest today, isn't just good for the bottom line. It's good for the soul. And the longer term, the better.

Nearly half of all American marriages end in divorce. But that doesn’t seem to stop us from looking for that perfect someone, that life partner, the one with whom we’ll grow old.

My guest today says despite the challenges that come with sticking it out, the benefits of staying together are huge. Being married gives us purpose and meaning. We become, he says, our best selves.

This hour, On Point: Hanging in. We’re talking about the upside of marriage for the long term.Guests:

Joining me in the studio is Mark O'Connell. He’s a marriage therapist, a clinical psychologist, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, and author of the new book "The Marriage Benefit: The Surprising Rewards of Staying Together."

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.