Valentine's Day Weddings Linked to Higher Divorce Risk, Study Reveals
Planning a Valentine's Day wedding might seem like the ultimate romantic gesture, but a new study suggests it could come with a significant downside. Researchers have found that couples who tie the knot on Valentine's Day or other gimmicky dates face a substantially higher risk of divorce compared to those marrying on ordinary days.
The Startling Statistics
According to research conducted by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, weddings occurring on Valentine's Day or special-number dates like 9/9/99 or 1/2/03 are 18 to 36 percent more likely to end in divorce than ceremonies held on regular dates. The study analyzed an extensive sample of 1.1 million weddings performed in the Netherlands among individuals aged 18-60 between 1999 and 2013.
By what would have been their ninth anniversaries, couples who married on Valentine's Day were about one-third more likely to divorce than those who married on ordinary days (21 percent versus 16 percent). Similarly, couples who married on same-number dates like 9/9/99 were one-fourth more likely to divorce (19 percent versus 16 percent).
Popularity of Special Dates
Researcher David Ribar expressed surprise at how popular these special occasion dates proved to be for weddings. "There were three times as many weddings on a given Valentine's Day than on an otherwise comparable February day — and there were six times as many weddings on a given same-number date compared to an ordinary day," Ribar noted. The researchers carefully controlled for the higher number of newlyweds on these dates to ensure accurate comparisons.
Why the Higher Divorce Risk?
The increased divorce risk appears to have little to do with the dates themselves and more to do with the characteristics of couples who choose them. Ribar emphasized that "I don't subscribe to numerology and neither does Jan" (referring to co-researcher Jan Kabátek), indicating the dates themselves aren't inherently problematic.
One key theory suggests that people who marry on regular days may be more strongly influenced by relationship quality and compatibility, while those choosing special dates might be engaging in what researchers call "sliding versus deciding" on their relationship progression.
"For sliding couples, their relationships are subject to inertia; even if the quality of the match is low in other ways, [it] may make the couple more susceptible to external cues, like special dates or leave them ambivalent about the formality or attendance of the ceremony," the researchers explained in their paper.
Demographic Differences
The study revealed several notable demographic patterns among couples who choose special wedding dates:
- They tend to be less similar in terms of age and education levels
- They're more likely to have been married previously
- They're more likely to already have children
"The choice of the date reveals some cool social science about how a couple's commitment to each other grows over time," Ribar commented on the findings, suggesting that wedding date selection can provide insights into relationship dynamics and commitment levels.
While Valentine's Day weddings might seem like the height of romance, this research suggests couples might want to consider whether their relationship foundation is strong enough to withstand the statistical challenges associated with these special dates.
