Every marriage is unique – and that means that each is uniquely vulnerable to different stressors and strains that can pull a couple apart.
Could some marital discord be entirely predictable, however? Some of the things that, statistically speaking, indicate a couple could be doomed from the start are pretty strange – at least, at first look. They include the following.
The bride had doubts before the wedding
When a groom has pre-wedding doubts, it doesn’t seem to have any effect on the durability of a marriage. When the bride has doubts, however, the odds of a divorce actually doubles. That may be because women initiate about 70% of divorces in this country. Pre-wedding uncertainties can be a sign that the bride knows, on some level, that her expectations for the marriage may not be fulfilled.
Only one partner is a smoker
If one spouse smokes and the other doesn’t, the couple is up to 91% more likely to divorce than couples who both smoke. It may sound odd, at first, until you realize that smoking is a lifestyle choice that could indicate that the couple has different priorities or values. The non-smoking spouse may also come to resent the expense associated with the other spouse’s habit or their unhealthy habits.
It was a “shotgun” wedding
When an unplanned pregnancy induces a couple to marry, the odds that they’ll eventually get a divorce are 24% higher than normal. This may not be that surprising, since the complicated realities of raising a child can put a strain on any marriage – and a couple that married quickly may not have a solid foundation on which to build their relationship.
A healthy marriage requires both parties to be largely aligned in their overall outlook, their goals for the future and their expectations for the life they want to have together.