Many people enter into marriage seeking heightened levels of intimacy, communication and togetherness but struggle to keep the fires burning in their relationship. A new report from the National Marriage Project and the Wheatley Institute found that there may be a simple way to help keep your marriage strong: date nights.
The report examined the links between one-on-one couple time and relationship quality with data from a new survey, "The State of Our Unions Survey," of 2,000 married men and women aged 18-55 in the United States. The survey was conducted by YouGov for the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute in the Fall of 2022. Data from this study was used to determine 1 how date nights are linked to relationship quality, 2 whether one-on-one time is associated with lower divorce risks and 3 if date nights are tied to greater sexual satisfaction.
Among the report's key findings:
Husbands and wives who engaged in frequent date nights were 14 to 15 percentage points more likely to report being "very happy" in their marriages, compared to those who enjoyed infrequent date nights.
Spouses who had frequent date nights were significantly more likely to report that divorce was "not at all likely" in their marriage (63% for wives; 60% for husbands) compared to those who infrequently or never go on dates (49% for wives; 47% for husbands).
Nearly 2 out of 3 spouses who frequently go on dates report that they are highly satisfied with their sexual relationship (68% for wives; 67% for husbands), whereas less than half of spouses who don't go on regular dates report similar levels of sexual satisfaction (47% for wives; 47% for husbands).
For couples who go on frequent date nights, nearly 3 out of 4 report being highly committed to their relationship (75% for wives; 73% for husbands) vs. only about half of those who don't (53% for wives; 51% for husbands).
The report highlights five ways date nights are likely to foster stronger marriages and relationships:
Communication. Date nights enable couples to discuss important topics, shared dreams and future plans as their relationship develops without the distraction of children or employment responsibilities.
Novelty. Couples who participate in novel activities or experiences beyond a "dinner and a movie" outing but also experience exciting, active, or unusual activities – from hiking to dancing to travel to card games - enjoy higher levels of relationship quality.
Eros. Romantic love sustains couples who have frequent date nights as they share feelings and engage in romantic activities with one another and rekindle romantic sparks over time. This can also foster higher levels of sexual satisfaction.
Commitment. Couples' sense of commitment to each other, which serves as a key component in stable and high-quality relationships, can be solidified on date nights by deepening their sense of togetherness during this one-on-one time.
De-stress. Stress is often relieved when partners step away from the pressing concerns of their regular lives to extend emotional support to one another.
Click here to read or download the report.