From Cupid Calendar
What We Know
Six relationship statistics you have probably heard, traced back to where they came from.
They come from What We Know, a module in Cupid Calendar about how we check what we tell you. The opening of the module is free to read on cupidcal.com. You do not need an account.
Counting citations is not the same as counting evidence: a figure repeated in two hundred places can still have one origin, and that origin can be a single sentence in a PDF.
The 94%
What you may have heard
“A researcher can watch a couple argue for fifteen minutes and predict divorce with 94% accuracy.”
Where it comes fromThe 69%
What you may have heard
“Sixty-nine percent of couples' problems are perpetual.”
Where it comes fromThe 86% and the 33%
What you may have heard
“Couples who stayed married turned toward each other's small overtures 86% of the time; couples who divorced, 33%.”
Where it comes fromThe six years
What you may have heard
“Couples wait an average of six years before seeking help.”
Where it comes fromThe fifteen cigarettes
What you may have heard
“A bad marriage is as bad for you as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.”
Where it comes fromThe 99%
What you may have heard
“Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases.”
Where it comes from
Read the opening of the module
It covers how we check what we tell you, and the six stories in full. It is free on cupidcal.com.
Read What We KnowIf either of you is afraid of the other, read our Safety Resources page first.