However, as per the researchers, couples who stay together after getting engaged or married have better chances of living happily and adjusting well with their partners. Consequently, they enjoy better quality of life.
The researchers found in the study that living together without getting engaged resulted in lack of satisfaction after marriage and this became one of the major reasons for seeking divorce later on.
According to the study, about 70 percent of couples in the United States share a house before marrying.
The study, conducted by lead researcher Galena Rhoades, Scott Stanley (research professor) and Howard Markman (professor of psychology) on unmarried couples living together, was published in the Journal of Family Psychology on Tuesday.
It was found in the study that the main reason for living together was to test the relationship and compatibility.
Researchers’ comments
"Cohabiting to test a relationship turns out to be associated with the most problems in relationships...Perhaps if a person is feeling a need to test the relationship, he or she already knows some important information about how a relationship may go over time," Rhoades said.
Lead researcher Rhoades stated, "We think that some couples who move in together without a clear commitment to marriage may wind up sliding into marriage partly because they are already cohabiting."
Stanley seconded Rhoades by saying, "It seems wise to talk about commitment and what living together might mean for the future of the relationship before moving in together, especially because cohabiting likely makes it harder to break up compared to dating."
Related study
Another study, which appeared in the Journal of Family Issues, that intended to study why couples decided to stay together before getting married and how the decision affected their lives revealed three main factors which led couples to live together.
In this study, researchers found that couples cohabited before getting engaged or married so that they could spend more time with each other. Another reason the most couples gave was the matter of convenience for both the partners and last reason was testing the relationship.
“Cohabiting before engagement, even only with one's future spouse, is associated with lower marital quality and higher divorce potential," researchers concluded.
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