A few months ago I wrote about research conducted in my lab on predicting the stability (i.e., persistence vs. breakup) of dating relationships. That article received a lot of traffic, but some readers have asked if similar research has been done on predicting whether a marriage will continue or not. Fortunately, researchers have tackled this question as well. Here are five factors that predict staying married versus getting divorced:1
1. Positive and negative behaviors: Husbands and wives who exhibit more positive behaviors (e.g., giving compliments, helping each other), and fewer negative behaviors (e.g., name calling, criticizing), towards each other are more likely to stay together. It’s pretty straightforward: be nice to each other, people.