Sadly, not everything written on every site can be taken as the absolute truth. But based on my own experience, plus reading everything I can find on the topic, good, bad or otherwise, my opinion is that, while the dwarf gouramis are very pretty, they are not the best fish for a beginner, and not the easiest fish to keep alive and healthy.
The general quality of the stock coming from the breeding farms over the past decade or so seems to have deteriorated, and many of these fish simply don't live long. Male gouramis on their own will build a bubble nest, just like their relatives, the Betta fishes, in hopes a female might come along. In nature they do not live together, they only come together to mate, after which the male raises the babies.
They also like a quiet tank, with many floating plants, many planted plants, and no fast swimming tank mates. Very little water movement, and not too much light, which limits the sorts of plants you can grow.
IF you had a pair of these fish, and they were to mate, the male might well attack the female afterward, especially in a smaller tank, because she might eat the babies. Breeders remove the females right after the eggs are laid to prevent this.
So having a pair won't make the fish 'happier'.. and unless you intend to breed them, if you are really determined to get this fish I would only get a male. Females alone are also ok, but I would not get a pair of them, nor a pair of males, because there is a chance they may fight. In an larger tank, where they'd have space for a few separate territories, you could have a pair or more.
You can choose whatever fish you like of course. These forums are just people giving their opinions, but I if you truly care about the welfare of the fish, as it appears that you do, then I'd think twice about a pair of these particular fish.
The previous poster who suggested having a few more neons and pygmy cories was quite right, those fish all enjoy the company of their own kind and six is the usual minimum number that is recommended for them to be happy and content. You'll see more of the cories when you have more of them because they won't hide as much.
