Relationships, especially those between spouses, are often extremely complex. Years of history and experiences, both the good and bad, often serve to keep spouses together. While traditional marriage vows include the promise of being by a spouse’s side, “for better or worse,” when the bad times begin to consistently outweigh the good, it may be time to explore one’s options.
There are numerous reasons why spouses who are unhappy in a marriage may choose to stay in a bad and unfulfilling marriage. For example; shared children, financial concerns and personal insecurities and fears are all common factors that keep unhappily wed couples together. There comes a point, however, when an individual must take a hard and realistic look at his or her marriage and personal situation and make the decision to leave.
While the findings of many previous studies often favored staying in an unhappy marriage over divorce, a recent study proves that divorce can open the door to a new and happier life. For the study, which was conducted by researchers at the Universities of Arizona and Colorado Boulder, researchers questioned more than 1,600 men and women who ranged in age from 25 to 74.
Over the course of 20 years, the individuals were asked various questions about their marriage, relationship with a spouse and overall marital satisfaction. One of the most interesting and noteworthy findings of the study relates to women who reported having low-quality marriages. When compared against those women who reported having low-quality marriages who chose to stay married, those women who instead chose to divorce reported much “greater life satisfaction years later.”
Divorce is often viewed in a negative light. However, for the men and women who feel trapped, unfulfilled and repressed in a marriage; divorce provides an opportunity to live a happier life.
Source: Fusion.net, “When does getting divorced actually boost happiness?,” Taryn Hillin, April, 28, 2015