You’ve probably heard by now that Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson are engaged after just three weeks of dating, and while we are of course suspending all judgement, science has a lot to say about it.
That’s because research shows that couples who date for one or two years before tying the knot are less likely to get divorced than those who rush down the altar.
Sorry, Pete and Ariana, but it’s science, and you can’t argue with that.
According to research conducted by Emory University in Atlanta, couples who date for between a year and two years before getting married are 20 percent less likely to divorce than those couples who date for under a year, as reported by LiveStrong.
And those who dated for three years before saying “I do” are 50 percent less likely to get a divorce.
A 2006 thesis by US-based psychologist Scott Randall Hansen found couples who dated for less than six months before getting married had the highest rate of divorce, as reported by The Cut.
“Couples that enter marriage too quickly may not have had the time to fully discover all those things about their partner that later end up being deal-breakers,” associate professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Arielle Kuperberg, told The Cut.
It’s basically a matter of taking the time to get to know your partner – really getting to know them.
Couples who are well acquainted with each other are also 50 percent less likely to get a divorce.
According to the LiveStrong report, between 40 to 50 percent of all married couples in the US will divorce, so the odds aren’t looking great for Pete and Ariana at this stage.
On the plus side though, sources have told Us Weekly the couple, both 24, are “are not rushing to get married” and are planning on having “a very long engagement”, so hopefully they’ll be able to buy themselves some time before making the ultimate commitment.
But science says they shouldn’t wait too long either.
“Couples that take a very long time to decide to marry may be hesitating for a good reason,” added Kuperberg.
Top Comments
When it comes to the entertainment Industry (music, film etc) it seems all bets are off. Many talk about husband number 3, or wife number 4, and the rest of us think this is normal. Some of these marriages have lasted merely weeks!
It seems that "until death us do part" means until the ink dries on the marriage certificate.
My parents go against the 'science' - engaged after 4 weeks, married 3 months later and still married 48 years down the track :-)
It really isn't science. The author is really talking about the odds. Some smokers smoke well into old age without getting lung cancer but the odds are higher that you will get ii if you smoke - as attested to those in the ;latter stages of the disease.
There will always be people who beat the odds. That doesn't mean it suddenly becomes a fine idea for people to decide to get married after knowing each other for a few weeks. Great that it worked out for your parents but statistically, it won't work out for most couples.