Product Description
We’ve all heard the statistic: Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. It’s enough to make many couples give up when the going gets rough, thinking that’s what everybody else does. But what if it weren’t true? What if, in fact, it’s not only possible but often easier than you think to save a seemingly troubled relationship? These are the questions leading New York Times blogger Tara Parker-Pope asked herself after her own divorce. An investigative journalist on the health and wellness beat, she turned to some of the top biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and other scientists for the facts about marriage and divorce.
Those facts were more positive and provocative than she’d ever expected, and For Better offers page after page of astonishing, eye-opening good news. Parker-Pope presents the science behind why some marriages work and others don’t; the biology behind why some spouses cheat and others remain faithful; the best diagnostic tools created by the most cutting-edge psychologists to assess the probability of success in getting married, staying married, or remarrying. There are questionnaires to uncover potentially damaging hidden attitudes toward spouses. There are tools to show the impact of routine, fresh activity and how small adjustments can make a huge difference. Tara Parker-Pope’s genius is for exploring the science behind the big issues that affect our lives every day and translating that science into advice that we can use—every day.
For Better is the definitive guide to the most profound relationship of our lives.
Those facts were more positive and provocative than she’d ever expected, and For Better offers page after page of astonishing, eye-opening good news. Parker-Pope presents the science behind why some marriages work and others don’t; the biology behind why some spouses cheat and others remain faithful; the best diagnostic tools created by the most cutting-edge psychologists to assess the probability of success in getting married, staying married, or remarrying. There are questionnaires to uncover potentially damaging hidden attitudes toward spouses. There are tools to show the impact of routine, fresh activity and how small adjustments can make a huge difference. Tara Parker-Pope’s genius is for exploring the science behind the big issues that affect our lives every day and translating that science into advice that we can use—every day.
For Better is the definitive guide to the most profound relationship of our lives.
Reviews/Praise
—Library Journal [starred review]
“Cassandra Campbell’s matter-of-fact but friendly reading strikes the right chord for this analytic guide.”
—AudioFile
“Tara Parker-Pope has crafted a jam-packed, lucid survey of the science behind a sound marriage. No wonder she is so popular.”
—Mehmet Oz, M.D., host of The Dr. Oz Show
“It is pure joy to read a book on so popular a subject as marriage that is not filled with pop-psych platitudes and prescriptive do’s and don’ts, but rather lets readers come to their own conclusions based on solid scientific research. Tara Parker-Pope, a dedicated science journalist, disabuses us of long held myths (like a soaring divorce rate or the need to avoid conflict in intimate relationships) and replaces them with facts that can help couples of any persuasion form stronger, steadier unions.”
—Jane E. Brody, columnist, The New York Times
“A truly excellent exploration of marriage, written in clear and compelling prose, delighting the reader with surprising observations.”
—Jerome Groopman, M.D., author of the New York Times bestseller How Doctors Think
“Finally! A real guide to making your marriage work. Tara Parker-Pope gives us all the latest concrete scientific information about how to get and keep life’s greatest prize: a good partnership. It’s educated, accurate, and honest. And it’s a good read.”
—Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of the New York Times bestseller Anatomy of Love
Author Bio
You Might Also Enjoy
|
50 Ways to Create Great Relationships |
Cracking the Love Code |
The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce |
