A February 2015 article in Business Insider citing the results of a study conducted by University of Virginia economic researchers declared the answers to the following two questions could predict or be strong indicators of a couple’s divorce:
- On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being much worse and 5 being much better, how do you think your level of happiness would be different if you and your partner separated?
- On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being much worse and 5 being much better how do you think your partner’s level of happiness would be different if you and your partner separated?
The University of Virginia researchers analyzed how 3,597 couples answered those two 
questions which had been asked as part of a national survey at two different points in time — once during the survey’s first wave in 1987-1988 and again about six years later.
According to the results of the study, approximately 7% of the couples surveyed ended their relationships in divorce, with the big takeaway being failure to properly communicate how a couple feels about their marriage “a forerunner of trouble down the road.”
Much has obviously happened in the world since the mid 1980s, but the effort and desire required to realize and maintain a healthy marriage remains constant. When one or both parties in a marriage shut down, not expressing any feelings about the other or their marriage, marital communication begins to deteriorate. And when communication in your marriage ceases to exist, unless you and your spouse somehow find a way out — perhaps through counseling or clergy — your marriage simply can’t survive.
If you find yourself in a marriage void of any communication, and you have come to the place where you just don’t want to simply exist in a bad relationship with no indication of reconciliation, you should seek the services of an experienced family law attorney. Contact Donna Wagner to schedule your free consultation.
