3 Percent of American Marriages Last More than 50 Happy Years

Finnegan Alford-Cooper, an associate professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Stetson University in Florida, says 3 percent of couples in the United States last more than 50 years.

Since the mid-1990s, Alford-Cooper has conducted research on couples married 50 years or more. Her research spawned "For Keeps: Marriages That Last a Lifetime"

Alford-Cooper says: "There is no simple recipe for a long-term marriage. A complex interplay of social and personal factors plays a role.

"Happier couples report high levels of love, trust, respect and compatibility. They enjoy each other's company. They are each other's best friend."

(Detroit Free Press)