Yikes:

Aside from being the epitome of lazy writing, “happily ever after” is not simple.

Ty Tashiro explains that couples in their first year of marriages score 86% for marriage satisfaction. By the seventh year, it’s under 50%.

Yes, about 50% of couples get divorced. Another 10-15% separate but do not file paperwork. And 7 more percent are chronically unhappy.

So the real stat is two-thirds of marriages do not live “happily ever after.”

Read more: 

http://theweek.com/article/index/260723/how-to-live-happily-ever-after-according-to-science

Notes from a previous version of this article:

http://pandawhale.com/post/41066/the-science-of-happily-ever-after-3-things-that-keep-love-alive