WASHINGTON, July 12, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A study released at the national conference of the Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education in Washington, D.C. today shows that individuals who divorce are no happier than those who stayed together over a five-year period. The study, “Does Divorce Make People Happy?” by the Institute for American Values, a New York-based marriage-advocacy group, uses 12 measures including depression, alcohol use and self-confidence.
It says two-thirds of those who stayed together reported that their marriages were happy by the five-year follow-up study—in contrast to the divorced, who remained unhappy. Co-author Bill Doherty, a University of Minnesota professor, said his intent is non-political, a “poke at the cultural assumption” that divorce is a ticket to happiness. “We were surprised by the systematic failure of divorce to be associated with improvements in the psychological well-being of unhappily married adults.”“This says that a good-enough marriage can be good enough, if you will,” Doherty adds. “We shouldn’t necessarily feel sorry for people who turn back from the edge of the cliff to be reasonably content. These people told us they’re happy they stayed together. They were not enamored of what may happen on the other side of divorce.” For newspaper coverage see: https://www.startribune.com/stories/389/3052234.html