The New Normal for Couples - Episode 12

February 12, 2014 — Chrisanna Northrup

with Louise Kuo Habakus and Alison MacNeil

Couples create a ‘normal’ together. A lot of it works. But sometimes, not so much. We have strengths and stuck places in our marriages. You know the expression “You never really know another person’s marriage”? But what if you could? Would you like to hear how other couples manage money and kids, spice things up in the bedroom, and divvy up the housework?

It turns out the happiest couples have some things in common.

What they are might surprise you.

Chrisanna Northrup wanted to know. In the midst of a relationship crisis, she created The Normal Bar project to help create a “marital rebirth.” Chrisanna recruited two renowned Ivy League PhD sociologists: Pepper Schwartz (Yale) and James Witte (Harvard). They helped her to analyze the results from nearly 100,000 people who were surveyed about their romantic relationships.

Who’s doing what around the house?
Does (should) money predict who rules the roost?
How do they deal with temptations, addictions, and other bad behavior?
What is predictive of happiness?

Chrisanna Northrup is a writer, researcher, and a co-author of The Normal Bar with sociologists Pepper Schwartz PhD and James Witte, PhD. She is also a financial professional and the founder of YOU Got Challenged! Incorporated, a customizable program designed for people to challenge themselves, along with friends and family towards better lifestyles. She lives with her husband and three children in LaJolla, CA.

Louise Kuo Habakus is Executive Director of Fearless Parent, lead host and producer of Fearless Parent Radio, and mom of two. She is a published author, runs the non-profit Center for Personal Rights, lectures widely, and has appeared in numerous media outlets, including ABC World News Tonight, Fox & Friends, and The New York Times. Louise was a Bain consultant and a C-level executive in the financial services industry. She holds two degrees from Stanford University. She is an advisory board member of GreenMedInfo.

Alison MacNeil, MSW, LICSW is a social worker and psychotherapist with more than 15 years of clinical experience. She holds degrees from Trinity College and the Smith College School for Social Work. Her professional background includes positions with a community mental health center in southeastern Massachusetts, Family Services of Greater Boston, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Healthcare Associates. Alison is a published author and a co-founder of the Thinking Moms’ Revolution.