Forget about the flu that has been going around – there is something else that is contagious and could put your marriage in jeopardy.
As CBS 2’s Tracee Carrasco reported, a study from Brown University suggested that divorce is contagious, and the divorce of a friend or loved-one increases your chances of getting divorced, too.
The study, conducted in Framingham, Mass., found that 75 percent of participants were more likely to get divorced if a friend was divorced, and 33 percent were more likely to end their marriage even if a friend of a friend got divorced.
Researchers called the phenomenon a “social contagion” – the spread of information, attitudes and behaviors through friends, family and social networks.
While psychotherapist Talia Filippelli does not necessarily agree that divorce itself is contagious, but she said emotions can be.
“Emotions are contagious, and if you have somebody really unhappy in their relationship around you all the time, you may start to be a little bit more critical of your own relationship,” Filippelli said.
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SOURCE: CBSNewYork
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