The silver lining of a downturned economy: Divorce rates are decreasing

Yahoo had an interesting video posted on their site yesterday about how the downturn of the economy is affecting divorce rates. Apparently, people that once maybe would have been quick to divorce are having to put on the brakes. The costs associated with divorce are just too expensive at a time when people are loosing their jobs, 401Ks, etc.

People are being forced to stick it out. And this might just be the silver lining of a bad economy. A report by the Center for Marriage and Family found that "among those who rated their marriages as very unhappy, almost eight out of 10 who avoided divorce were happily married five years later." © 2008 - Brianna Sylver - All rights reserved
The question is, how did these couples turn things around? What contributed to them becoming happier and more fulfilled by one another in the long term? Another article posted at Couples Company states that these couples were able to avoid divorce because they:

• Outlasted their conflicts rather than resolving them. Many stresses connected to children, finances, job problems, depression and even affairs just eased on their own.
  
  
• Worked on their relationship. They resolved conflicts, improved communication and found more effective ways to navigate through problematic areas.
  
  
• Found ways to improve their personal happiness through other interests and outlets that were not harmful to their marriage. This in essence lowered the partners' expectations of each other to be the only source of happiness.

© 2008 - Brianna Sylver - All rights reserved