While many people are aware that they can catch the flu or another type of disease from others, they never consider the fact that the same could happen with divorce. This is something that our Illinois couples, as well as others in the rest of the world, need to be aware of.
A recent study conducted by Brown University showed that divorce is contagious. When a loved one or friend goes through this process, your chance of doing the same in the future is greater.
This study found that 75 percent of participants had a better chance of going through divorce if a friend did the same. Along with this, 33 percent had an increased chance of filing for divorce if a friend of a friend took on this process.
A psychotherapist shared the following information with CBS 2: “You don’t want to be associating your friends’ situation with yours too much and making too many connections, because more than likely, the connections are being imagined or created. They may not necessarily be realistic.”
Taking this approach can help people avoid the divorce bug that could bring them down next.
This study may sound far-fetched, but it took into account information from thousands of people spanning more than 30 years.
Despite the fact that divorce is a personal problem that two people must figure out on their own, this study shows that external matters can have an impact. For many, if somebody in their life goes through a divorce they may find themselves wanting to do the same in the near future.
Source: CBS New York, “New Study Says Divorce Can Be Contagious” No author given, Apr. 30, 2014
