{"id":254391,"date":"2025-04-23T08:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=254391"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:05:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:05:06","slug":"psychologist-names-the-number-one-predictor-of-divorce-it-is-93-6-per-cent-accurate-every-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/psychologist-names-the-number-one-predictor-of-divorce-it-is-93-6-per-cent-accurate-every-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologist names the number one predictor of divorce: ‘It is 93.6 per cent accurate every time’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By SHANIA OBRIEN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA<\/a><\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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A leading psychologist has revealed the four toxic behaviours that can destroy a relationship – and one small facial expression that could be a clear predictor of divorce.<\/p>\n

Dr John Gottman, a marriage and family counsellor and founder of the Gottman Institute, conducted one of the largest long-term studies on relationships<\/a> ever undertaken.<\/p>\n

Through his extensive research, he identified criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling as the key conversation patterns that consistently ruin romantic relationships – calling them the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.’<\/p>\n

His research became the centre of a conversation on the popular Unplanned Podcast<\/a>, where body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards <\/a>told hosts Matt and Abbey Howard that Gottman could predict divorce with an astonishing 93.6 per cent accuracy, just by watching a silent video of a couple.<\/p>\n

‘Dr John Gottman is a marriage and family counsellor, and he did the largest marriage experiment ever done,’ she explained.<\/p>\n

‘He brought couples into his lab, and if one member of the couple shows a one-sided mouth raise towards the other, he can tell you if they’re going to get divorced – because he’s looking for contempt.’<\/p>\n

According to Van Edwards, contempt <\/span>is the most dangerous of the four behaviours because it lingers.<\/p>\n

‘Fear comes in a burst, and then you calm down. Happiness comes, and then you go back to normal. Anger comes, and then you calm down,’ she said.<\/p>\n

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Vanessa Van Edwards is a body language expert<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Matt and Abbey Howard co-host the popular ‘Unplanned Podcast’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘But not contempt. If you feel scorn or disdain for someone else, and if it is not addressed, it festers and it grows.<\/p>\n

‘That is why at the end of a marriage you have two people who can’t even look at each other.’<\/p>\n

She urged listeners to be on alert for signs of contempt and recommended a direct approach to diffusing it before it takes hold.<\/p>\n

‘Ask, “What’s going on? Are you okay? What are you feeling? I want to be here for it.” Because then you’re giving air to whatever that contempt is so that it can be addressed,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘And then you can either fix it or become the enemy against it.’<\/p>\n

Van Edwards also shared her belief that all couples have the same three arguments, and learning to identify them can defuse tension before it escalates.<\/p>\n

‘You have to sit with your partner and figure out what are your basic root-level three arguments.<\/p>\n

‘That way when you’re in an argument, even if you feel like you still disagree, you can say ‘this is argument number 2 – we’re in a stalemate on this one’,’ she said.<\/p>\n

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Dr Schneer outlined the subtle but unmistakable signs of contempt – including a one-sided mouth raise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In a 2019 article, Dr David M. Schneer of The Merrill Institute echoed Gottman’s warnings, stating: ‘Disgust and contempt are to a relationship what gasoline and matches are to a fire.’<\/p>\n

Dr Schneer outlined the subtle but unmistakable signs of contempt, from eye-rolling to mouth crimping.<\/p>\n

The professional also called attention to the ‘Lint Picker’ – someone who fidgets with their clothes or cleans their fingers while you’re speaking, silently signalling disdain.<\/p>\n

He offered several strategies for de-escalating contempt, including: changing the topic to something more pleasurable, seeking common ground, using humour to lighten the mood.<\/p>\n

Dr Schneer also suggested disengaging entirely if the situation turns toxic.<\/p>\n

While love may be built on trust and communication, experts agree that it can be quietly undone by the creeping presence of contempt, often visible long before a single word is spoken.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\nPsychologist names the number one predictor of divorce: ‘It is 93.6 per cent accurate every time’<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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