Is divorce contagious?

I just read an ABC News Story which covers a new research study that suggests divorce is contagious.  I am not sure I agree with the research.

The theory is that like viruses which spread all over the world, a happily divorced person can cause the “divorce infection.”  There is some support for the theory in that there is a psycho/social phenomenon called “contagious behavior” through which there is an unconscious transmission of actions or emotions from one person to another (e.g., yawning).

The study by Rose McDermott of Brown University; James H. Fowler of the University of California, San Diego; and Nicholas A. Christakis of Harvard University suggests that divorce is contagious. They say that divorce can spread from one couple to their sibling, coworker, friends and even friends of friends.

It is based on the acceptability of the idea that divorce is an option to have happiness. According to Fowler, being friends with someone who gets a divorce makes you 147 percent (147%) more likely to get divorced. Once an individual Close relations could influence one’s perception on divorce and even on one’s decision making. Social behavior is contagious therefore divorce being socially acceptable becomes contagious.

For more info, see the ABC News Story: “Is Divorce Contagious? How You Can Beat the Bug“.

I for one believe that it is difficult to say what exactly causes divorce. I do believe it is more likely to be associated with the behavior of the spouses who are actually married to each other and desire the divorce than some third party who is simply happy they got divorced.

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