In-Laws...How Does Massachusetts Rate Them

You meet…date…fall in love…get married…and you either strike gold with your new extended family or you find yourself in in-law hell.

A recent study by the jewelry company Shane Co. recently published a study on their “The Loupe” website titled “States with the Best (& Worst) In-Laws.” The study was conducted over a 3-week period according to the article. They surveyed 2,900 people in 41 states. Participants were asked to rate their in-laws on a scale of 1-5, with 1 the lowest score and 5 the highest. A number of states were not included in the survey because they did not have enough data to draw a conclusion one way or another.

How did residents of Massachusetts feel about their in-laws? WOW! Massachusetts recorded the second-highest score of all participating states with a 3.94. That puts Mass 2^nd in the country for loving their in-laws. Massachusetts was second only to Rhode Island with a score of 4.00. To show how much Mass loves their in-laws the average state score was 3.66 according to the Shane Co. survey.

The state with the worst relationship with their in-laws according to the Shane Co. survey was Arkansas with a 3.19 score. Connecticut was next to last scoring 3.38 out of 5.00.

Out of all the results tabulated to my surprise, Mother-In-Laws scored higher than Fathers-In-Law. Judging how strong of a relationship the participant has with their spouse’s mom 22.2% said “Great.” The spouse’s dad’s totaled 18.5%. the “Awful” percentage was 28.7% for moms and 34.5% for dads.

The “Best Traits for In-Laws to Have” according to the Shane Co. study…

1-Welcoming you into the family warmly 34.7%

2-Treating you like their own children 15.23&

3-Being helpful when they are needed 14.64%

4-Respecting your space 9.92%

The “Worst Traits for In-Laws to Have” according to the Shane Co. study…

1-Giving unwanted advice 19.55%

2-Inserting themselves into your life too much 15.62%

3-Being overdramatic 12.28%

4-Speaking negatively about you behind your back 11.39%

Every family dynamic is different and there is an ebb and flow to getting along through the good and bad times and the years and years of family get-togethers, holidays, events, and drop-ins. When you hitch your wagon to a partner, he or she is also connected to a caravan that will go along for the ride. Here’s hoping it is a nice smooth road and not a bumpy one.

To check out more interesting information gathered in this Shane Co. survey click on this link to their “The Loupe” website.