Can Your Friend’s Divorce Infect Your Marriage?

Study From University Of California San Diego Says Maybe

A shocking new piece of research from professors at UC San Diego indicates that divorce can spread from couple to couple in a manner eerily reminiscent of a plague.

As head researcher on the study James Fowler suggests, the act of seeking a divorce from your spouse can have dire unintended consequences within your social group.

"Think of this 'idea' of getting divorced, this 'option' of getting divorced like a virus," Fowler told reporters, "Because it spreads more or less the same way."

In a longitudinal study of multiple generations of people living in a small Massachusetts town, Fowler found that one divorce could create more in the immediate social group of friends of the first couple, creating divorce 'clusters'. For friends of separated couples, the chances of getting a divorce skyrocketed by 147 percent. Even co-workers were not immune to the social contagion, seeing an increase in likelihood of 55 percent.

Taboo Nature Of Divorce Weakens With Each Divorce, Study Shows

In theorizing as to the reason for this viral effect, Fowler said that one of the primary deterrents against divorce is the social stigma associated with it. When a couple breaks this unwritten rule and gets divorced, it lessens the strength of the convention. Suddenly, couples that would never have considered a separation begin to see it as a viable solution to their marital troubles.

After watching a close friend go through a divorce, you gain an insight into what exactly the process entails. In doing so, Fowler explained, you might learn to your surprise that divorce is easier and less messy than you previously believed.

Despite the controversy his study has caused, however, Fowler warned against alarmism. His study only covered one small town, with barely 5,000 people involved, which Fowler says is not nearly enough to definitively prove the effect. More research will have to be conducted, he added, before conclusions can be drawn.

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After twenty years serving as a family law specialist, attorney Scott Baroway realized that often, litigation is the wrong approach to take when pursuing a divorce. Rather than seeking a messy, confrontational divorce, clients benefited far more from a different approach. At the Denver Divorce Help Center, we are dedicated to helping mediate conflict between spouses with compassion and understanding. A Denver divorce mediation lawyer from our firm can help you separate from your partner with a minimum of acrimony and stress, pursuing the best outcome for your family and yourself.