The Utility of Relationship,: The Utility of Life

Abstract

Utility may be an abstract concept but happiness is not. This research was conducted to determine how difficulties in personal finances between couples affect the utility of their relationship, and their aggregate utility of life. The formulas created from the body of presiding research show that these formulas affect one another, and that personal finance within a relationship can affect the overall utility of life experienced by an individual. Three concepts are examined: the utility of life or the usefulness derived from all aggregate factors of an individuals life; the utility of relationship defined as the usefulness an individual experiences from their main lifelong relationship; and the utility of monetary cohesion within a relationship or the usefulness an individual gains from similar financial ideals with their partner. The literary review culminated in the creation of three utility functions interact in a linear fashion with each other, and that financial matters are the most correlated factor with divorce. These findings should be used by the financial services industry to provide more practical information to their customers by helping couples foster congruent perspectives on financial matters, and highlight exactly how detrimental differences in applied personal finances can be for the everyday population.