More on WHEN

I continue to be reading Daniel Pink's best selling book, "WHEN....The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing" and find it fascinating.

Those of us who have worked with students for very long will not be surprised by these facts.  But, I find it comforting to know that these trues I have learned working with couples getting ready to be married are actually backed up by scientific evidence based research.

WHEN SHOULD A COUPLE MARRY?

1.  Wait until you're old enough (but not too old).
-People who marry very young are more likely to divorce.
-Past the age of 32, the odds of divorce increase by 5% per year for at least the next decade.

2.  Wait until you've completed your education.
-Couples tend to be more satisfied with their marriage and less likely to divorce, if they have more education before their wedding.

3.  Wait until your relationship matures.
Couples that dated for at least one year before marriage were 20% less likely to divorce than those who made the move more quickly.  (I've (Arliss) been saying couples have to date at least a year to know what the other is really like, because we are so good at putting up a false face. 

HERE IS THE SURPRISING FINDING:
"The more a couple spent on the wedding and any engagement ring, the more likely they were to divorce."

I will be sharing a little more on WHEN next about "mid-life crisis" from Pink.

Arliss Dickerson is the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook format at amazon.com for 99 cents each and FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is in paperback.