The longer a couple lives together, the more detrimental it is to their relationship.
Multiple studies have demonstrated that the longer the cohabitation period, the greater the negative impact on the relationship and the individuals involved. Two professors at Rogers University in New Jersey, David Popenoe and Barbara D. Whitehead, began studying cohabitation relationships more than 10 years ago.
The results showed that marriages formed through cohabitation had a 46% higher divorce rate than those formed without cohabitation. The longer the cohabitation period, the more independent and self-reliant both partners became, and the less willing they were to be bound by marriage, increasing the likelihood that they would never marry. Another US survey of 2,150 men also indicated that only one-third of those who had cohabited later married the woman.
