Studies Find Divorce Is No Impediment To Happiness

Both Men And Women Are Likely To Find Happiness After Unhappy Marriages

A number of recent studies are showing that people who are considering divorce have a lot less to fear than they may suppose. According to the Telegraph, a long-running Harvard study has found that men who get out of unhappy marriages are just as likely to eventually establish successful marriages later in life as other men. Likewise, another study has found that women tend to be happier than men in the immediate aftermath of a divorce, according to the Toronto Star.

Divorced Men Find Long-Term Happiness

In the Harvard study, which has been following the emotional stability of a group of men since the 1930s, those who divorced were found to be just as likely to find a lasting marriage in later life as those who stayed happily married to their first spouse.

Of the 62 men in the study who got divorced, out of a total of 242 participants, 23 of them successfully remarried. The average length of the remarriages for such men was found to be 33 years. Conversely, of the 49 men who stayed in unhappy marriages, only one respondent claimed to be able to turn the marriage around in later life. According to the study’s director, the results prove that men can learn from the mistakes made in earlier marriages in order to eventually find happiness in later life.

Women Happier Following Divorce

Meanwhile, a study from last year also found that women are likely to be happier than men immediately following a divorce. The Kingston Business School study, which has been following a group of women for 20 years, found that women were likelier to be happier than men in the first five years after a divorce.

The study found that while both men and women reported being happier after an unhappy marriage was put behind them, women actually reported being happier than their “baseline” happiness. Researchers say that the results could be due to a number of factors, including women getting out of controlling relationships, decreasing stigmatization surrounding divorce, and women today being more likely to economically support themselves than in the past.

Divorce Law

While the above studies provide some comfort to those who are considering taking the often intimidating step towards divorce, people should still keep in mind that dissolving a marriage can be a long and complicated process, especially without professional guidance.

In order to help make a divorce as smooth and stress-free as possible, anybody considering a divorce should contact a qualified family lawyer. With experienced legal representation, clients will have the help they need to get through a divorce and eventually move on with their lives.