How’s it going, YouTube?
Brad Browning here… and today, I’m going to be talking about 6 scientific factors that
lead to divorce.
If you’d like to learn more about how you use this information to help save YOUR marriage
today, then feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking on the little subscribe
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Okay!
So let’s jump right into the goods.
Reason 1 – You or your partner withdraw from conflicts.
When you try and talk to your partner about a tough issue or problem in your relationship,
does he or she engage with you or do they pull away?
Studies show that if they pull away, it isn’t a great sign.
A 2013 study from the Journal of Marriage and Family found that this sort of “cold”
behaviour in response to conflict is a strong predictor of divorce.
And another study conducted by the Communication Monographs in 2014 came to a similar conclusion;
their study showed that couples that DIDN’T try and actively solve their issues were much
less happy in their relationship.
The Gottman Institute has also conducted studies regarding this exact problem of conflict avoidance
as well.
In a study involving hundreds of couples, researchers monitored a partner’s ability
to engage in difficult conversations with their spouse.
Those that were able to communicate effectively during difficult situations, to no one’s
surprise, had a better chance of staying married versus couples that weren’t able to talk
things through.
So the next time YOU try and bring up a problem in your marriage, see how your partner reacts.
Does he or she ask you questions?
Do they show concern?
Or do they ignore you and give you the silent treatment?
If he or she doesn’t give you the time of day, it may be a very strong indicator that
something might be causing trouble in your marriage, and that you should address this
ASAP.
Reason 2 – Being overly passionate as a newly married couple.
This is a little bit of a weird one…and a little bit counter intuitive too.
I mean, you would assume that couples that show a ton of affection for one another, especially
as newlyweds, are more likely to build a stronger and longer lasting marriage, right?
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
A 2001 study from the Interpersonal Relations and Group Process found that, and I quote….
“As newlyweds, the couples who divorced after 7 or more years were almost giddily
affectionate, displaying about one third more affection than did spouses who were later
happily married.”
So interestingly enough, the passionate, overly romantic love stories that you read about
in books and Hollywood movies have a LOWER chance of actually making it in the long run!
Who would’ve thought?
The main takeaway from this is that changes in expectations are likely in a marriage…
and once the passion and excitement wane, you’re left with another kind of relationship
that can be equally as fulfilling.
Adjusting to this new mode can be a real marriage killer, especially when you first realize
that this change is happening, but keep in mind that a strong marriage isn’t about
passion, it’s about building a lifelong bond.
Reason 3 – You describe your relationship negatively
A Gottman Institute study conducted a series of interviews with several hundred couples
asking them various questions about their marriage and their spouse… this was called
an “Oral History Interview”.
By analyzing the language used in these interviews, the study revealed a strong correlation between
divorce rate and contemptuous language.
Furthermore, couples that described most aspects of their relationship with endearment stayed
together longer.
Now, this may not seem like a very ground-breaking study… but it’s important to take away
one big thing from this… and it’s this:
Obviously, no marriage and relationship is perfect, but failing couples tend to zero-in
on the problems and fail to recognize the positive aspects of their partners.
So the next time somebody asks you how you feel about your marriage, do your best and
try and talk about the GOOD things your spouse brings to the table.
In fact, do yourself a favour and write down all the things you love about your spouse
and the reason why you married them… and make sure you cherish and memorize that list.
You’ll be happy that you did!
Reason 4 – Being or having a husband that doesn’t work full time.
Now, this is a bit of a touchy one…
especially in this new day and age where women have more opportunities now than in the past…
but a 2016 Harvard study shows that the male “breadwinner” stereotype is still prevalent.
This Harvard study suggested that it was not a couple’s finances that determined whether
a couple would stay together or not… but the division of labour.
This study looked at thousands of heterosexual marriages after 1975 and found that husbands
that DIDN’T have a full time job had a 3.3% chance of divorcing the following year…as
opposed to 2.5% among the full time working hubbies.
The wives’ job status had almost no effect on the rate of divorce.
Now, again, times are changing and we are seeing more and more “stay at home dads”
in happy marriages… but this is something worth noting.
I know a lot of these reasons may not be applicable to you, so if you want to learn more about
your own marriages, take my free quiz tool!
This quiz will determine your approximate chances of saving your marriage… to take
this quiz, head on over to marriageguy.com/quiz.
Again, that URL is marriageguy.com/quiz and I’ll put that link in the description below
as well.
The quiz is 100% confidential and like I said, it’s completely free.
Reason 5 – Not completing your high school education.
Now, this factor probably isn’t going to be very applicable to many of you so I’ll
keep this one brief, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that…and I quote…”The
chance of a marriage ending in divorce was lower for people with more education, with
over half of marriages of those who did not complete high school having ended in divorce
compared with approximately 30 percent of marriages of college graduates."
Other studies have pointed out that the reason for this may simply be because people who
don’t complete high school have much lower incomes… and this puts an obvious strain
on some marriages.
And finally...
Reasons 6 – Getting married too young or too old.
Now this one may not be surprising to a lot of people, but couples who get married in
their teens are at a much greater risk of divorce.
Surprisingly, this is also true for people who marry in their mid to late 30’s and
beyond.
According to a professor at the University of Utah, after the age of 32, your odds of
divorce increase by 5% each year.
Now before you panic, we need to point out that this doesn’t mean you have to rush
into a marriage.
You need to make sure you find the right person for you, however, this age factor is an extremely
strong predictor of marital success.
It’s also important to note that the greater the age difference is between the two spouses,
the greater the risk of divorce as well.
Now in conclusion, there are a number of reasons why marriages lead to divorce… and many
of these variables are controllable.
So if you would like to learn more about how you can prevent divorce and save your marriage
today, then you MUST watch that free video presentation on my website at MarriageGuy.com.
Again, that URL is MarriageGuy.com… and be sure to watch that entire video to the
very end.
In it, you’ll learn the 3 “marriage murdering mistakes” that most couples make that ruin
their chances of a happy marriage.
Alright, that’s all for today folks…talk to you soon!