Do you expect your spouse to make you happy? Research shows you shouldn't

I have always been a happy person and believe being happy by yourself, for yourself and with yourself is very important to one's mental health. As a young teenage girl, I barely read fairy tale or romantic novels mainly because they were too predictable and more or less unrealistic! For those who did and bought into the "prince charming sweeping you off your feet and living happily ever after in a castle fantasy", it may be disappointing to find that in reality you hold the key to your happily ever after and not some prince. I saw an article on Recipe For A Happy Marriage: The 7 Scientific Secrets and the below excerpt resonated with me.

Research shows most people’s happiness eventually returns to their natural baseline, even after very positive events like a wedding. Happiness lies within the individual and expecting a spouse to change that forever is unrealistic and unfair. 

Via For Better: How the Surprising Science of Happy Couples Can Help Your Marriage Succeed:

What is surprising is that research shows happiness is relatively stable. A major life event (like marriage or the birth of a child) may offer a short-term happiness boost, but studies suggest most people return to their own personal happiness “set point.” If you ranked your level of happiness as a 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10, research shows that most of the time, the events of your life won’t change that. You’ll pretty much be a 7.5 happy person all your life.