Ramon and Edith Have Been Married for 60 Years And

question 91

Multiple Choice

Ramon and Edith have been married for 60 years and, when a local news station interviews them on their anniversary, they both say that their relationship keeps getting better and better, every year. What does longitudinal research on marital relationships say about how marital relationships change over time?

• A) What matters is what they believe and if they believe their relationship is getting better, it must be getting better.
• B) When a marriage has lasted as long as theirs has, it is almost certainly getting better over time.
• C) In general, people in very long-term relationships will say they are getting better even if they are getting worse.
• D) While people may say their relationship is getting better, research indicates that their actual ratings of the relationship will either stay the same or get worse.

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Definitions:

Consciousness

The state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings and thoughts.

Persistent Thoughts

Repeated, ongoing thoughts that may be intrusive and unwelcome, often associated with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Antidepressants

Medications primarily used to treat depression by altering brain chemistry to improve mood and stress-coping mechanisms.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in the body's fight or flight response, affecting heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.