Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries: Newlyweds and marital success

The Internet is abuzz with rumors about the state of newlyweds Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ marriage -- though it’s unclear why.

Kardashian has certainly suggested that their recent living situation hadn’t been quite ideal: The couple has been living in an apartment with family members -- sister Kourtney, her boyfriend Scott Discik and their 22-month-old son -- while filming ‘Kim and Kourtney Take New York.’

That’s a pretty fair observation on Kim’s part -- newlyweds tend to like a little space, after all -- and one that doesn’t particularly speak to the couple’s internal dynamic. In any case, it’s likely to be a moot point soon, since filming in the Big Apple wrapped recently.

Perhaps celeb-watchers are just looking for any sign that could predict the Kardashian-Humphries union’s ultimate success. That urge might have a certain logic: Studies do show that the interaction of newlyweds can predict long-term happiness. A 2004 study in the journal Family Process found that couples who use playfulness and enthusiasm in little moments in daily life may be more able to employ humor and affection in conflict resolution.

A 2001 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at changes in newlyweds over the first two years to see how their marriage would shake out after 13 years. They found that their study did not support the idea that distress in a marriage -- perhaps including the kind caused by living in close quarters with family? -- affects divorce rates.

“Instead,” they wrote, the results “show that disillusionment -- as reflected in an abatement of love, a decline in overt affection, a lessening of the conviction that one’s spouse is responsive, and an increase in ambivalence -- distinguishes couples headed for divorce from those who establish a stable marital bond.”

Follow me on Twitter @LAT_aminakhan.