What is the success rate of cohabitation vs marriage?

Is living together before marriage really a good idea? I mean, you hear so many different things. You'd think it would make the transition to marriage smoother, right? Like a test drive? But… honestly, I've seen it go south so many times. My cousin, Sarah, and her boyfriend, they lived together for like, three years before they finally got married. Everyone thought it was perfect, you know? They seemed so happy. Less than a year later? Bam. Divorce. It was messy. Really messy.

And it turns out, that’s not just anecdotal. Apparently, there's actual research on this. I was reading something the other day – I think it was Psychology Today, or maybe The Atlantic? – anyway, the article talked about how cohabitation is actually linked to a higher divorce rate. Crazy, huh? Something like 50 to 80% higher! That’s a huge jump. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Why would that be? I guess maybe living together before marriage changes something… maybe the commitment feels less…serious? Or maybe couples who are already kinda shaky jump into living together thinking it will fix things, and then it just…doesn’t. It’s definitely something to think about.