meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Marriage Therapy Radio

Ep 377 Three Traits That Predict Relationship Happiness - Dr. Shannon Curry

Marriage Therapy Radio

MTR

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Therapy, Health & Fitness, Marriage, Relationships, Mental Health, Education

4.6690 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Zach continues his conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry for a vulnerable and intellectually engaging conversation that blends personal storytelling, relationship science, and unexpected insight. Shannon opens up about how her own relationship defied her expectations, thanks to what she learned from psychologist Tai Tashiro’s research on the three personality traits that lead to lasting happiness.

They dive into what it means to choose a partner based on substance over spark, how grief and trauma can shape family planning decisions, and why admiration—not just chemistry—can sustain love. Shannon also shares her deeply personal journey of caring for her father through dementia and how it’s connected to her professional values and sense of purpose.

This episode is rich with real-life honesty, expert-backed wisdom, and the kind of reflective conversation that stays with you long after the final minute.


Key Takeaways

  • The Three Relationship Traits That Matter Most: According to Tai Tashiro’s research, conscientiousness, low neuroticism, and moderate adventurousness are better predictors of lasting relationship satisfaction than looks or wealth.

  • Choosing the Right Kind of Chemistry: True intimacy often comes from admiration and emotional safety, not physical attraction alone.

  • Love Without Children: Shannon shares why she and her husband Ty are "childless by choice" and how past grief shaped that decision.

  • Caregiving as Sacred Work: Shannon reflects on caring for her father through dementia and how her training as a psychologist helps her meet his needs with dignity and compassion.

  • Letting Go of the Checklist: Her personal love story challenges societal norms around partner selection and encourages listeners to rethink what really leads to long-term happiness.

Guest Info

Dr. Shannon Curry

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, everybody. Welcome and thank you for listening to this episode of Marriage Therapy Radio. My name is Zach Brittle. I'm here again with Dr. Shannon Curry. Last week, we traded professional perspectives about how to do therapy in our different contexts. This week, we get a little bit more personal with Shannon about her relationship with her husband, Ty. She points me toward a researcher named Tai to Shiro, not her husband,

0:22.7

that has some thoughts about what makes relationships work. I loved listening to Shannon

0:28.3

make me smarter about Tai to Shiro, and I realized that actually knew of him before, but not in a

0:33.1

relationship context. I'm familiar with a couple of his books, specifically the science of

0:36.7

socially awkward and why that's awesome. That's a pretty cool read. I think Shannon is referring to another book that I've not read, which is called The Science of Happily Ever After, which is about what really matters in the search for true love. She introduces me to a new concept that I'm actually crazy about, in part because it starts with C, and you know I'm obsessed with

0:54.2

alliteration, and I love things like creativity and compassion and courage, but also because

0:58.5

it's an extremely sound concept that I just haven't given much thought to. It's the principle of

1:02.7

conscientiousness. We talk about what it means to be conscientious in a relationship, and it's

1:08.3

pretty exciting to hear her talk about her relationship and some of what makes it work,

1:13.8

including ties, conscientiousness, and some other factors that I think you'll enjoy hearing about.

1:19.8

This is the second of three chats that Shannon and I have together. I think you'll enjoy it because

1:24.0

this is a very cool conversation. around can i ask you about your own

1:29.0

relationship of course i love talking about that you are married to tie you said something to me

1:36.6

interesting that i think people need to hear um and i want to make sure that like you'll know what

1:42.2

i'm talking about so i'm going to say i'm just going to say a little bit of it. And then you take it from there. But you talked about, um, or said to me one time, like, he's such a good guy, but maybe he's not like the sexiest or the, the, the hottest or something. Like, because like, people aim for like these really hot guys or tall guys or whatever but the target is

2:01.6

a kind guy and do you remember what you're talking about i don't think you're you're certainly

2:05.8

weren't putting him down but you're sort of like i'm so glad i gave up my dream of the

2:09.7

of the hunky hunker type it was i think so he actually is hot and uh that i think so too

2:16.8

that's why i think i'm a little bit surprised. I don't want. I sometimes feel bad disclosing because, but I think what I might have been referring to is when I was dating and what I was looking for. I had no idea what he looked like. And what had happened. Wait, what do you mean you had no idea what you look like? Well, it was Tinder and he was actually, he was wearing a giraffe costume in his photo. And then he used to

2:39.6

work on an oil rig. And so it was his giraffe costume. And then he basically was on the rig most months

2:46.0

out of the year and sort of like hard hat stuff. But because of this talk I had gone to at the American Psych Association

2:53.7

conference, I run by Tai Tishiro, not my husband, different Thai, but also wonderful. He's a

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from MTR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of MTR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.