In the United States, the marriage rate is near a record low, and 40-50% of marriages end in divorce. Research has also found that rates of marital satisfaction have declined over time. In short, fewer people are getting married, those who do aren’t as happy as married couples in the past, and a heck of a lot of these relationships just won’t work out. So why is that? Why are relationships so hard?
In this episode of the podcast, I spoke with Roger Nygard about his recent documentary and book The Truth About Marriage, which examines how we can all make our relationships happier. Nygard is an accomplished filmmaker who has directed TV series such as “The Office” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” and he has edited Emmy-nominated episodes of “Who is America?” “VEEP,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” For his documentary, he interviewed a number of sex and relationship researchers and therapists to get the answers, including previous podcast guests Drs. John and Julie Gottman.