In an era of soaring divorce rates, why are these loveless marriages still persevering

While scrolling through my phone late at night, I was suddenly hit by a message on my social media account - my best friend of ten years shared a family photo with the caption 'A compromise dinner, a compromise life'. The comment section remained silent in tacit agreement, as if the audience had already grown tired of the script for this seemingly perfect performance. Contemporary marriage is like a frozen fish on a barbecue grill, burnt and smoking on the outside, and biting inside, but no one wants to be the first to turn off the fire.

1. "Sinking Cost Phobia" in Marriage

1. Overdraft Bills from Emotional Banks

Behind the visible bundling of properties that are jointly repaid, parent groups of children's schools, and overlapping social circles, there is a more secretive "emotional ledger". Many people are not unable to settle their accounts, but rather afraid of discovering that they have been paying high interest on a bad relationship for the past decade.

2. In an era where divorce is even more difficult than taking the postgraduate entrance exam [SEP], from the cooling off period to property division, modern divorce is comparable to clearing the game and fighting monsters. According to data from a certain court, it takes an average of 3 visits to the Civil Affairs Bureau for divorce by agreement, and 2-3 years for divorce by litigation. When the cost of ending a relationship is higher than maintaining it, many people choose to store their marriage in a 'freezer'.

Secondly, dear The Rise of Shared Marriage in Secret relationships

1. Shared bathroom but sleeping in separate beds, using WeChat to communicate with children for homework guidance, this "roommate style" interaction model is spreading among middle-aged couples. Just like a phone set to power-saving mode, all emotional functions run at the lowest power consumption.

2. The Kidnapping of the Social Clock

"Who else can we find at this age?" "If we endure it any longer, our children will go to college." These invisible marriage cling films wrap the already deteriorated relationship in a bright and beautiful way. The standard smile in the Spring Festival family photo has become the most expensive performance art.

3. A new type of adhesive for contemporary marriage

1. The community of interests is stronger than love

When marriage becomes a joint-stock enterprise, many people choose to remain silent in their board seats.

2. The popularity of emotional meal replacements

Star chasing, pet ownership, and immersive drama watching are filling the emotional gap in marriage. Just like using vitamin pills instead of fresh fruits and vegetables, although they are not nutritionally complete, they will at least not starve to death. The marriage registration office will not tell you that some red books are supposed to be diary entries with a validity period of three years, but they are often kept as family heirlooms by many people. Perhaps a healthy parent A close relationship should be like a winter scarf, warm but not suffocating, and daring to replace it with a new one even if it's old. Next time you see those exquisite family photos on your social media, why not ask: Did you have a good argument today?