twitter facebook stumble upon rss

If Divorce Is Contagious ... Are Other Issues, Too?

posted Saturday, July 24, 2010
filed under: divorce
sign up for the momlogic newsletter Tweet This

Hayley Krischer: Set up the quarantines! New research says that a friend's divorce increases your own chances of splitting up by a whopping 147 percent. The reason? Apparently, people's feelings about their spouses rub off on each other within social groups. According to James Fowler, a social scientist who has conducted numerous studies on the topic, divorce can therefore be deemed a "social contagion."

Divorce
For the record, I don't remember anyone else getting divorced before my split with my ex-husband four years ago. But according to Fowler, divorce's contagiousness is powerful. "Your friend's friend can affect you as well," he said in an interview on ABC News. "It's almost like a set of dominoes." A friend of a friend is 33 percent more likely to get a divorce just because you're getting one.

If divorce is so contagious, are other issues contagious as well? The answer is yes. We're familiar with this concept to some extent -- "birds of a feather"; "copycat" -- but clearly we haven't recognized the pervasive degree to which humans influence each other. 

According to Fowler and Nicholas Christakis, coauthors of "Connected," the list of social contagions is long. Here's how likely you are to "catch" these, for example: weight gain, 57 percent; loneliness, 52 percent; smoking, 36 percent; happiness, 9 percent; negativity, 7 percent.

If negativity is contagious, does that mean that a negative article can act as a social contagion? Case in point: In light of the recent New York Magazine cover story "I Love My Kids. I Hate My Life," more mothers have been talking about their parenting struggles. I'm one of them. After reading it, a few of my friends and I raised the great what-if question: "If you could do it all over again, would you still have kids?" Once the issue was on the table, most of us agreed that we're all in the same wobbly boat. 

Did the article prompt us to feel down about being mothers? Did our complaints rub off on each other? Or were these feelings already there?

Ironically, having babies is as contagious as resenting the babies you already have. If your sibling has a child, for example, you're 15 percent more likely to get pregnant yourself within a two-year time span, according to a Princeton study. 

I'm living proof of that, too. My husband (I'm remarried now) has two brothers. Each of their wives got pregnant within two months of my own pregnancy. We joke about our family looking like a daycare center, because three cousins were born a couple of months apart.

Maybe it was something in the water. Who knew that water could be so contagious?


next: Teaching Your Children Values through Volunteerism
198 comments so far | Post a comment now
head shop March 21, 2011, 4:13 AM

Good information gived by you.

cheap hosting March 21, 2011, 5:34 AM

I am quite about to do this step. This post got me thinking whether i should do it. Again. And thank you very much!

microwave ovens buy March 21, 2011, 8:39 AM

nice! i can tell this was important! good job!

gps portable buy March 21, 2011, 11:49 AM

Aw, this was a really quality article.

xoom tablet March 21, 2011, 12:30 PM

Interesting. Will defintely be back

ereader March 21, 2011, 1:33 PM

You made some respectable factors there. I regarded on the web for the problem and located most individuals will go together with together with your website.

job hiring March 21, 2011, 1:41 PM

Hello! I have read some of your post here and found it interesting and it makes a lot of sense. Plus i love your theme here. Thumbs up! Keep on sharing!

geckos pets March 21, 2011, 3:16 PM

Hmmm for some reason only half the post can be seen. I tried reloading but still same.

dental plan american March 21, 2011, 4:23 PM

This is truly awesome notion dude.iam genuinely proud of you . Do u have twitter?? i need to abide by you .thx

jerseys cheap buy March 21, 2011, 5:18 PM

Nice details, many many thanks towards the author.

4g phone buy March 21, 2011, 6:48 PM

Nice one, thanks for the tip

buy gps March 21, 2011, 7:20 PM

WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait .. …

britax kidfix group 2 3 isofix car seat david March 21, 2011, 9:16 PM

Fantastic website. A lot of helpful information here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks on your effort!

Sibel March 22, 2011, 12:00 AM

Better late than never.

debt assistance get March 22, 2011, 3:24 AM

I’m often to blogging and i actually admire your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and maintain checking for brand new information.

evo 4g March 22, 2011, 3:46 AM

I used to read your website all the time, truly i like and i still do.

buy bible movies March 22, 2011, 5:29 AM

I like your site, i really like reading your posts, good luck in the future.

credit March 22, 2011, 6:00 AM

I am writing a paper on romoba vacuum cleaners and I uncovered this post to be really helpful and informative. Thank you.

health dental March 22, 2011, 7:07 AM

There’s noticeably a bundle to learn about this. I assume you made certain good points in features also.

affiliate marketing March 22, 2011, 4:48 PM

I have learn a few good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you set to create any such fantastic informative web site.


Leave a reply:



(not displayed)

     




Avoid clicking "Post" more than once
Back to top >>
advertisement

featured gallery

Gwen Stefani and Family at the Park

momlogic tweets

recent activities