The First Lesson of Marriage 101: There Are No Soul Mates

A February 2014 Atlantic feature on Northwestern University's popular "Marriage 101" course, taught by Alexandra Solomon and colleagues, which uses Mating in Captivity, For Better, and meaty academic studies to teach undergraduates that healthy long-term relationships are built, not found. The first lesson — there are no soul mates — is the foundation: research consistently shows people who hold soul-mate beliefs cope worse with conflict and are more likely to leave, while "work it out" believers fare better. Note: Atlantic article fetched via secondary sources.