In-law irony: The evil ones might help your marriage last longer

Christmas time is in-laws time. But before you bemoan the beastly presence of your horrifying mother-in-law, a new study suggests that the judgemental, manipulative harpy in your life may be good for your relationship. A study by Dr Terri Orbuch of University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research found the marriages of women who are close to their in-laws are 20 percent more likely to fail, possibly because they take their crap too seriously. However, the effect is inverted for men. A positive relationship with their in-laws makes a marriage 20 percent less likely to end in divorce. Yup, there's no winning. [Source]

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