研究發現婚禮越盛大 婚姻越幸福

Bigger weddings lead to happier marriages 婚禮越盛大 婚姻越幸福The stress oforganising a big wedding can leave many couples at breaking point, as theybattle to coordinate a celebration on a scale which would tax even professionalevent planners. 籌劃一場盛大的婚禮的壓力之大，可使眾多愛侶變為冤家怨偶。他們為這場盛典竭力協調、博弈，即便是職業婚禮策劃人也會備受煎熬。But couples wrestlingwith 150-seat table plans should take heart, for new research suggests thatbigger weddings predict more successful marriages. 不過那些為大辦婚宴而鬧騰的未婚夫妻們也不要灰心，最新研究顯示：婚禮越盛大，日後婚姻越幸福。A study by theUniversity of Virginia in the US, found that couples who had larger ceremonieshad higher-quality marriages. 美國弗吉尼亞大學（University ofVirginia）研究發現，婚禮儀式隆重的夫妻，其婚姻質量更高。Although cynics mayargue that people who can afford an opulent wedding are likely to befinancially secure, and therefore happier, the researchers claim that thecorrelation remains even when controlling for wealth. 雖然有些憤世嫉俗的人會說，那些有能力擔負奢華婚禮的夫妻基本經濟條件無憂，所以日子自然過得愉悅。不過研究人員認為，即便考慮到經濟問題，婚禮與幸福二者的聯繫依然存在。They believe that marryingin front of a large number of people demonstrates greater commitment to theunio while also discouraging divorce. 他們認為，在大批來賓環繞下結婚可說明夫妻二人對婚姻強烈責任感和熱忱之心，還可減少離婚的念頭。「There is some reasonto believe that having more witnesses at a wedding may actually strengthenmarital quality,」 said lead author Dr Galena Rhoades.「有理由相信，由更多人見證的婚禮可以鞏固婚姻。」研究主要發起人伽蘭那·羅德斯（GalenaRhoades）博士說。「We try to keep ourpresent attitudes and behaviours in line with our past conduct. The desire forconsistency is likely enhanced by public expressions of intention.「我們有不改本心的願望，公眾的關注會加強這種對一致性的渴望。「Weddings may fostersupport for the new marriage from within a couple』s network of friends andfamily. Those who hold a formal wedding are likely to have stronger socialnetworks in the first place.」 「婚禮使夫妻得到雙方親友對新婚的祝福，而那些鄭重其事舉辦婚禮的夫妻大多都擁有較牢固的社交網路。」The report is part ofthe ongoing National Marriage Project in the US which has been studying whatmakes marriages work since 1997. 這個報告來源於美國正在進行的「國家婚姻項目」（NationalMarriage Project），該項目從1977年便致力於研究婚姻幸福的秘密。The survey of 418people found that only 30 percent of couples who had 50 or fewer guests at thewedding had highly-successful marriages. In contrast, nearly half (47 percent)of couples who had 150 guests or more had strong unios. 從對418人的調查發現，婚禮賓客少於50人的夫妻中，只有30%婚姻美滿。與之相反，婚禮賓客多於150人的夫妻中，近一半（47%）都是伉儷情深。National Marriage Projectdirector Brad Wilcox added: 「Couples with larger networks of friends and familymay have more help, and encouragement, in navigating the challenges of marriedlife.」「國家婚姻項目」負責人布拉德·威爾考克斯（Brad Wilcox）補充說道：「擁有較大親友關係網的夫妻在面對婚姻生活的挑戰時，可以得到更多幫助和鼓勵，為婚姻保駕護航。」The research alsodiscovered that couples who had fewer partners before marriage were happier andmore content. 這項研究還發現，結婚之前戀愛次數較少的夫妻更幸福也更滿足。Having severalrelationships before getting married may lead couples to compare their currentpartners with former lovers, the authors warn. 婚前情史豐富的人容易拿現在伴侶和之前的戀人相比，研究發起人警告道。「We generally thinkthat having more experience is better. If you were hiring an architect, forexample, you would want to hire an architect with more, not less, experience tobuild your house," said Dr Rhoades.「我們一般都認為經驗豐富點好。比如說如果你要請一個建築師幫你造房子，你總會希望他是個中老手，而不是個新入行的菜鳥。」羅德斯博士說道。「But what we find forrelationships is just the opposite. Having more experience was related tohaving a less happy marriage.「但是在婚姻關係中卻正相反。情史豐富往往與婚姻不幸相關聯。」「People who had beenmarried before; people who had lived with a boyfriend or girlfriend before andthose who had more sexual partners before marriage were each associated withhaving lower marital quality.「結過婚的、和戀人同居過的、婚前有好幾個性伴侶的，其婚後生活都較不如意。「Having morerelationship experience may lead to a greater sense of what the alternativesare. If you have a greater sense of other options it may be harder to investin, or commit to a marriage.」 「戀愛經驗豐富的人更懂得給自己留迴旋的餘地，他們總能意識到還有別的選擇，因此更難全心投資，或說投入婚姻。」The researchers call itthe 『Vegas Fallacy』 – not everything that happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,they warn. 他們警告道，這是研究人員口中的「拉斯維加斯謬論」（VegasFallacy）——不是所有發生在拉斯維加斯的事都會留在拉斯維加斯。「The past does notalways stay in the past,」 added Dr Rhoades. 「過去的事情總會對現在有一定影響。」羅德斯博士補充道。Recent figures from theOffice for National Statistics show that marriage in Britain is stronger thanit has been for a generation. 英國國家統計署（Office forNational Statistics）的最新數據顯示，英國人的婚姻現狀比上一代人要穩固。The divorce rate inEngland and Wales is currently almost 20 percent lower than it was a decadeago. 現在英格蘭和威爾士的離婚率比十年前低近乎20%。The trend towards morestable marriages is being driven by younger people, with the divorce ratesfalling in all age groups up to 50 for men and 45 for women. 青年一代是穩固婚姻浪潮的主力軍，如今50歲以下男人和45歲以下女人的離婚率都已下降。By contrast so-called「silver splitter」 separations continue to surge, with the number of people over60 heading to the divorce courts up three percent in a single year and 45percent in a decade. 與之相反的是所謂「銀髮一族」的離婚率持續高漲。為離婚上法庭的60歲以上老人每年以3%增長，十年內已增長45%。Adultery as a cause fordivorce has also dropped to an all-time low, accounting for just 14 percent ofdissolutions granted to wives in 2012. More than half of wives filing fordivorce now cite their husband』s 「 unreasonable behaviour」. 因婚外情離婚的降到史上最低，2012年只有14%的妻子的離婚申請通過。現在超過一半的妻子因丈夫「不合理的行為」而提出離婚訴訟。The overall divorcerate in England and Wales now stands at 10.8 for every 1,000 married people, afifth lower than its level in 2002. However, an estimated 42 percent ofmarriages will still end in divorce.如今英格蘭和威爾士的總體離婚率約1.08%，比2002年時下降了20%。然而估計仍會有42%的夫妻以離婚告終。
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