In what we call modern societies, getting divorced is no longer frowned upon. In fact, the trend of legally separating from your spouse has become so popular that almost one in 2 couples get divorced.
If you're just uttering a silent OMFG, right now, we're on the same page. I also find this rate surprisingly high and, what amazes me further more is the fact that studies point out that divorce is a contagious illness.
To start with, let me briefly mention a few statistics that suggest how big the impact of other people getting divorced is for us:
having close friends who recently untied the knot makes you 75% more likely to do the same
if your group of friends is mainly made up of divorced individuals or people who have been married several times, your chances to sign divorce papers are 147% higher compared to people who hang out with happily married friends
having a sibling that got divorced increases your chances of doing the same by 22%
being surrounded by many divorced peers at work leads to 50% more chances of splitting up
All these numbers allegedly based on relevant surveys look scary to me. So how come seeing other people get divorced influences us to such a great extent? Is it really contagious or are we really bound through our nature to imitate our peers' behavior?
The answers are yes and yes. According to psychologists, copying our friends and colleagues behaviour is a common pattern. We are more likely to make a decision if we know someone else has done the same before.
When it comes to the topic of divorce, we also tend to follow the path on which others walked before us. It gives ua courage and strength to end a toxic or dysfunctional relationship if we see that everyone around us is doing it.
Moreover, we are less reluctant to the idea of getting divorced because everyone finds this natural today and it's now possible to openly talk about it and admit that your marriage is not working anymore.
To end the article on a more positive note, let me tell you what a late friend of mine once told me about getting married:
'whether you do it or not, in the end you'll end up regretting it :)'
image source: www.pixaby.com
info source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/relationships/divorce-is-contagious-heres-why/ar-BBXf3vB?ocid=spartanntp
