By Brad Wilcox

Drawing on the latest in social science as well as ancient wisdom, University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox is dedicated to understanding and strengthening our most important institutions: marriage and family.

What’s the recipe for happiness? If you listen to liberal elites or red pill influencers, you’d say it’s making money, living for yourself, and staying single without kids—and you’d be wrong. Nothing predicts happiness better than a good marriage.

According to new research by the University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox, our kids and communities—not to mention our civilization as a whole—are much more likely to flourish when the state of our unions is strong. Despite this, record numbers of Americans are not succeeding at getting or staying married.

In this hard-hitting book, Wilcox reveals the anti-family messages and policies coming out of Holly­wood, Washington, the media, academia, and corporate America that have weakened marriage. Along the way, he knocks down a number of myths they’ve propa­gated. He reveals:

• Both men and women who get and stay married accumulate much greater wealth than people who don’t marry.
• Married men and women with families report more meaningful lives, compared with their single and childless peers.
• Couples who take a “we-before-me” approach to married life—by, for instance, sharing joint checking accounts—are happier and less divorce-prone than couples who do not.
• Couples who forge “family-first” marriages—characterized by frequent date nights, family fun time, and chores done with the kids—enjoy the happiest marriages.

Wilcox spotlights four groups—Asian American, Conservative, Faithful, and Strivers—who have built strong, stable marriages by defying the me-first mes­sages of our elites in favour of a family-first way of life.

This is a book for anyone who wants to under­stand why, even as fewer men and women tie the knot, America’s most fundamental institution matters for our civilization more than ever. And for men and women looking to establish strong, stable, and happy unions for themselves and their children, Get Married reveals the road forward.

“Finally, a book from academia that tells the truth about the value of marriage. Based on sound research and real-life examples, Get Married calls for a return to the fundamental building block of a healthy society. I wish every adult in America could read this book.” — GARY CHAPMAN, author of The 5 Love Languages

“A compelling read from the first page, showing that marriage, far from the happiness killer the media-verse makes it out to be, is instead consistently and solidly linked to more happiness and better mental health.” — JEAN M. TWENGE, author of Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents — and What They Mean for America’s Future

“It’s rare that someone offers a simple formula to improve happiness, health, and prosperity, but Brad Wilcox masterfully does just that in Get Married. Read this book and share its truths with the people you love.” — ARTHUR C. BROOKS, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author