According to relationship expert and psychologist John Gottman, happy marriages are built on deep friendship.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (2014), married individuals whose spouse is their best friend have relatively higher life satisfaction.
Most often than not, couples get married based on the short-term relationships they engage in, which, in comparison to actual friendship, do not allow them enough time to get to know each other before getting betrothed.
In discussion with Prime Morning host, KMJ Thursday, two married persons shared how the friendship with each of their spouses saves them in times of discrepancies.
Majid Izah, the Muslim husband, explained on the Joy Prime show that “if you are married to your friend, the marriage is different from just being in a relationship for some time before you marry.”
He says this from his own experience of how close he and his wife were before marriage – to the extent of being referred to as “twins” – and how that friendship intercedes for them in times of dispute.
Senam Alornyeku, the Christian wife, also reveals that when arguing with her husband, she reminds herself of her friendship with him before marriage.
This pushes her to terminate the fight in order to maintain that friendship.
“I think friendship is one of the things that has kept this marriage going because any time there’s a problem, I just go back to remember the friendship we had…and it keeps me calm because I really do not want to lose the friendship I have with my husband,” Senam elaborates.
In a nutshell, it is better if individuals get married to their friends whom they know so well and who, for the sake of friendship, will be willing to let matters lie and bring peace to the home.
