TOTALLY GEEKED!

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Is Pregnancy Contagious? How About Marriage or Divorce?
Post Info TOPIC: Is Pregnancy Contagious? How About Marriage or Divorce?
Lady Gaga Snerd


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 25897
Date:
Is Pregnancy Contagious? How About Marriage or Divorce?
Permalink  
 

Is Pregnancy Contagious? How About Marriage or Divorce?

Our friends influence us in surprising ways.
Post published by Theresa E. DiDonato Ph.D. on Mar 05, 2015 in Meet, Catch, and Keep
 

The “me” and “you” in a relationship seem like the ones who should be making big relationship decisions, right? Do you get married? Do you get divorced? Do you have a baby? It’s just two people weighing options and deciding … or is it?

We might think major relationship choices are made within the confines of our relationships, but recent research underscores the surprisingly potent influence of our social worlds. It turns out that serious life and relationship decisions are very much influenced by our friends and families.

Pregnancy, for example, may be contagious.

A recent study by Balbo and Barban (2014) tested whether having friends who become parents affects women’s own likelihood of becoming a first-time mother (in this case, the authors focused on planned, rather than unplanned pregnancies). They examined a nationally-representative sample of 1726 U.S. women whose friendship data and fertility information were gathered multiple times between age 15 and 30. Two of their findings stand out:

 
  1. If your friends become parents, you’re more at risk. The study controlled for other potential factors (e.g., age, SES, race) and even included potential selection effects (i.e., choosing friends who share family plans). Their findings suggest that interacting with childbearing friends ups women’s likelihood of becoming a first-time parent.
  2. Friends’ childbearing influence is short-term. Friends' baby decisions apparently have their strongest influence around 2 years later, then their influence declines. This is a more delayed influence than siblings, whose strongest impact on women’s pregnancies tends to be within the first year of having a first baby.

So it seems that starting a family, such a personal decision for a couple, may be unconsciously influenced by one’s social network and their experiences. Are there are other big relationship decisions that are also affected by friends’ decisions?

What about marriage? Can you catch the marriage bug too?

Not so much. The social influence for marriage, it seems, is not linked to friends’ decisions (Balbo, Barban, & Mills, 2013). They are, however, subject to social influence. This time, individuals’ decisions to marry are influenced by one’s general peer group. The difference between friends and a peer group is a subtle, but important distinction. A peer group is a contextual factor made up of non-friends or acquaintances and is not limited to close friends. In other words, it might be the “year of weddings” in part because people your age are getting married (i.e., a cohort effect), rather than your specific friends tying the knot. 

How about divorce?

Happy events like marriages and starting a family are not the only events subject to social influence. Break-ups are, as well.

New evidence suggests that divorce can spread through social networks (McDermott, Fowler, & Christakis, 2013).

By analyzing data from a longitudinal study called the Framingham Heart Study, a group of researchers were able to learn that divorce moves in clusters defined by social ties. Friends who divorce affect the likelihood that their friends will divorce, and their influence even extends to friends of friends. The authors suggest value in studying divorce in the same way that epidemics are examined. The spreading effect of divorce reveals that breaking up may be less of a couple’s issue, and more of a social, or public health, concern.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meet-catch-and-keep/201503/is-pregnancy-contagious-how-about-marriage-or-divorce

 



__________________

https://politicsandstuff.proboards.com/
Tinydancer


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 6573
Date:
Permalink  
 

lol... I read that title and said "Gosh I hope not!".

__________________

“Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.”
― Julia Child ―


 

 

 
lilyofcourse


My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Status: Offline
Posts: 38325
Date:
Permalink  
 

Meh. It's just the cycle of life.

__________________

A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.

Charley Harper
lilyofcourse


My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Status: Offline
Posts: 38325
Date:
Permalink  
 

Tinydancer wrote:

lol... I read that title and said "Gosh I hope not!".

 No kidding! Now that is a vaccine I want! 



__________________

A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.

Charley Harper
Lawyerlady


On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Status: Offline
Posts: 27192
Date:
Permalink  
 

It's called a biological clock. Friends of the same age group are usually ticking in time with each other - or at least close.

__________________

LawyerLady

 

I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you. 
Lady Gaga Snerd


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 25897
Date:
Permalink  
 

I think divorce can be contagious in a way. I think that women often encourage other women in the direction of divorce rather than in the direction of trying to save their marriages.

__________________

https://politicsandstuff.proboards.com/
lilyofcourse


My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Status: Offline
Posts: 38325
Date:
Permalink  
 

I don't agree with that. At least not what I have seen.

I do think divorce is more prevalent in certain areas.

__________________

A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.

Charley Harper
voiceofreason


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1089
Date:
Permalink  
 

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

I think divorce can be contagious in a way. I think that women often encourage other women in the direction of divorce rather than in the direction of trying to save their marriages.

 Really?  Maybe that is the perception.  30 years ago when I was divorcing dxh, the husbands of our mutual friends told him "if you can't control your wife, keep her away from mine!".  As if I had the intent or energy to involve myself in someone else's marriage when mine was sucking the life out of me.  Effers.



__________________

I'm the Ginger Rogers of spelling...that means I'm smat.

Lesson learned in February:  I don't have to keep up, I just have to keep moving!

 
Lady Gaga Snerd


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 25897
Date:
Permalink  
 

I see women quickly jump on the "throw the bum out" bandwagon and totally absolve them of any doings on their part. Yes, there are definitely some Ahole spouses out there, no question! I am not saying there aren't. But, I have also seen marriages sadly breakup. But, I don't live with them so who really knows?

__________________

https://politicsandstuff.proboards.com/
Lawyerlady


On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Status: Offline
Posts: 27192
Date:
Permalink  
 

Divorce as a whole is contagious b/c as it has become more and more acceptable, many people enter marriage these days just assuming if it doesn't work out, they can get a divorce.

__________________

LawyerLady

 

I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you. 
ed11563


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Permalink  
 

"Is Pregnancy Contagious? "

 

I learned in school that a woman CANNOT get pregnant from ANYONE else who is pregnant. Only from a "carrier" who can spread pregnancy, but cannot catch it himself.

Has that changed? hmm

 

 

 



__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.
Southern_Belle


Nothing's Impossible

Status: Offline
Posts: 16913
Date:
Permalink  
 

Myself and 3 high school friends had children within 6 weeks of each other. Back then you had to wait a lot longer to get pregnancy results so it's not like I popped up pregnant and everyone else followed. We were in our early 20's and it was just time for us to have kids.

__________________

A person's a person no matter how small.
burns07


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1586
Date:
Permalink  
 


don't know if pregnancy is contagious and wouldn't say divorce is contagious but can definitely say irresponsibility is contagious and it typically escalates as well--would not wish divorce on anyone but if it has to be it has to be--know sometimes it is necessary for the survival of the parties

we choose our friends carefully ( and they choose carefully as well ) and for the most part we're indifferent to anyone's input when it comes to our relationship--our marriage is about us and only us

__________________

" the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "--edmund burke

 
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Is Pregnancy Contagious? How About Marriage or Divorce?


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard