“Those who divorce aren’t necessarily the most unhappy, just those neatly able to believe their misery is caused by one other person,” the Swiss-born British author and philosopher Alain de Botton wisely observed. The hard data certainly supports his theory. According to a study published by Couple and Family Psychology, the most often cited reasons for divorce—the je ne sais quoi of calling it quits, if you will—were lack of commitment (75.0 percent), infidelity (59.6 percent), too much conflict and arguing (57.7 percent), marrying too young (45.1 percent), financial problems (36.7 percent), substance abuse (34.6 percent), and domestic violence (23.5 percent). And though the divorce rate has slowly declined in recent years, particularly for millennials, roughly half of marriages still end in splitsville. The number bumps up to 60 percent for second marriages and a cold-feet-inducing 73 percent for those braving a
Relationship Advice From a Couples Therapist and a Divorce Lawyer
