Abstract:

The pursuit of happiness is a legitimate and plausible aim in life for many people. This study investigates the relationship between divorce and happiness with regard to different reference groups. For this purpose, individual-level data from the Life Satisfaction Survey, a suvey conducted annually since 2003, have been utilized for the 2003-2019 period. The study first shows divorcees to have considerably lower wellbeing compared to never-married and married individuals. This finding indicates the negative consequences of divorce. When compared to married people in unsatisfactory marriages, however, divorcees have statistically significantly higher well-being levels. Lastly, the results show that people adjust to their divorce over time to an extent, with their happiness increasing after one year of adaption period. In conclusion, the family mediation mechanism can to an extent prevent divorces caused by impulsive behaviors as long as the mediators remind the couple of the burdens of divorce in light of scientific studies and help the couple make rational decisions.

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