The 72-day marriage of Kim Kardashian made headlines, but short-lived marriages are not unique to celebrities. For every Cher, Dennis Hopper and Liz Taylor there are ordinary couples marrying and divorcing in record time, as well. What causes such impulsive acts? The answers may surprise you.
The number one reason why marriages end quickly is due to couples getting married for the wrong reasons. What are the wrong reasons?
“Legal” Sex and Raging Hormones
There is what may be an urban legend about BYU co-eds related to quick marriages and divorces. Because there is an honor code at BYU that prohibits premarital sex, and because membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints includes a commitment to chastity, a group of BYU students thought they found a “loophole”. By getting married in Vegas, “doing the deed” and getting divorced, they thought they were getting the best of both worlds. They were wrong. According to the story, there were consequences for all involved revolving around their admission to the school and membership in the church.
Though that may be an urban legend (status unverified), it does effectively explain one reason behind the quickie marriage and divorce: raging hormones. When hormones go wild, men and women alike are more prone to poor judgment. For those who have personal standards that include waiting until marriage, the lure to marry in order to prevent violating those standards is strong. However, after the honeymoon is over and the afterglow fades, the wedded bliss may not be so blissful.
Companionship
You see it all the time in singles, and often via internet dating sites: the couples who are quick to marry and then divorce. In singles, feelings of loneliness can settle in, especially in those recently divorced or widowed. The longing for the comfort of having someone around can be so appealing it overrides normal critical thinking processes and draws people into relationships they otherwise would not be in or would not move so quickly through. When reality sets in, the natural course of action is to divorce as quickly as the couple wed.
Intoxication
Intoxication is quite possibly responsible for more bad behavior and poor decisions than anything else. Think the lampshade on the head or waking up in a strange place are bad? How about being married to a stranger? “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” also applies to those quickie weddings and divorces (or annulments). Perhaps Justices of the Peace need to follow the same rules bar tenders must follow regarding “serving” those who are intoxicated.
Financial Gain
We’ve all heard the horror stories of financial predators wooing the unsuspecting and then absconding with their money. Of course, in these cases, divorce is a better outcome than that of some tragic cases. In some cases, the relationship ended with the planned demise of one of the partners.
In other cases, a poorly-written per-nuptial agreement or no pre-nup at all can translate to big bucks even if the marriage was very short-lived. Financial predators count on these things.
Other
Another reason behind marrying for the wrong reasons and then quickly divorcing is pressure. It may be social pressure, peer pressure, familial pressure or another form of it. Regardless, there is some pressure to marry a specific person or just to marry. In these cases, the ‘torture’ may last for years, but for some, the courage to stand up to the pressure comes shortly after the I Dos have been said.
There is some speculation that the Kardashian/Humphries union and dis-union was a publicity stunt, due not only to the reputation of the Kardashian clan, but the timing of related events. Though only those involved know for sure, publicity can be another reason why some couples quickly marry and divorce.