The 'Two Year Rule' and Other Principles for Finding Reliable Love
You're in a relationship. Maybe you’ve been together for a while or you are just starting out. Maybe you’re living together or just thinking about it. It seems great. But you want to be sure.
With the decline of marriage, the relationship game has changed. Yet we’re still not very sure about how to play it. Moving in together early on has become the new social norm, but it’s not risk-free. The nature of cohabitation itself can encourage ambiguity and drift in a promising relationship and make it hard to end an unpromising one.
Accepting that cohabitation is here to stay, Harry Benson offers a roadmap to navigate the ups-and-downs of modern relationships. Drawing on the latest research on relationships and commitment, he introduces the Two-Year Rule and other Rules for Romance that will help couples make the right choices, find the reliable love they seek, and, ultimately, to "commit or quit".
"If the wisdom and advice Harry Benson offers in this book – based on robust data and research - is picked up by couples, so much of the heartbreak and pain experienced by adults and children in our society may be avoided."
Nicky and Sila Lee, Founders of The Marriage Course
"A life-changing read for anyone looking for reliable love! This compact book is full of wisdom based on robust research and real-life experiences. It has the potential to redirect the course of couple relationships away from ambiguity and into committed, successful marriages in a modern era."
Michaela Hyde, Executive Director, Marriage Foundation
"Commit or Quit is a response to the rise in committed, or not so committed couple relationships, providing a framework for people to appreciate their choices."
Richard and Maria Kane, Marriage Week International, Marriage-week.org
"Ever the curator of up-to-date information on today's relationships, Harry synthesizes current research and theory to offer practical, contemporary advice for those in modern relationships. This book is a must-read for anyone living together."
Prof Galena Rhoades, Center for Marital and Family Studies, University of Denver
"All too many couples drift into cohabitation without a plan or a clear sense of their future. This is a mistake, as couples who drift into cohabitation and then marriage are much more likely to end up unhappy and divorced. Commit or Quit offers a better path for men and women whose ultimate aim is a stable and happy marriage. Cohabiting men and women who would like to marry should definitely read this book."
Bradford Wilcox, Director, National Marriage Project Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Virginia
"Commit or Quit comes with a simple message to all couples to have a 'forever conversation'. This is delivered alongside an avalanche of evidence from Harry Benson who sets out why the intentionality around marriage makes a difference to the likely longevity of a relationship.
This isn't just a relationship self-help guide - although every young man should read it - this book has implications for governments too. The more we strengthen couple relationships the less family breakdown and human misery we will see around us. This book outlines how couples who decide to commit to sticking together are more likely to do so than those who simply slide into an ever more constrained relationship. The evidence is clearly and succinctly put in another great book by Harry Benson."
Frank Young, Head of Family Policy, Centre for Social Justice