Marriage, Divorce, and Social Media: A Recipe for Disaster

Many studies have shown that social media has a negative effect on marriage. A study published in Computers in Human Behavior, found a link between social media use and decreased marriage quality in every model analyzed. The study results predict that people who do not use social media are 11 percent happier in their marriages than people that regularly use social media. (A preoccupation with social media can lead to neglect of the marital relationship.)

Some have discovered their spouses cheating on social media. According to a study by the Loyola University Health System, Facebook, with more than 2 billion users, is cited in one out of every five divorces in the United States.

And according to the AAML (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers), 81 percent of divorce attorneys report increasing numbers of spouses searching for online evidence when there are suspicions of bad behavior, infidelity, or online affairs.

In this excellent blog posting on Psychology Today, Ann Gold Buscho offers 10 tips on how to use social media to protect yourself during your divorce.