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Comment by epicureanideal | Hacker News Reader

It’s not possible for them to make great matches in any significant quantity, because our society has become incapable of making good long term matches at all due to changes in morals, expectations, etc. And many individuals, probably a clear majority at this point, are not capable of being psychologically healthy relationship partners.

A steady stream of top businessmen, actors, sportsmen etc. are being divorced by their wives. If these people can’t maintain a marriage, how much more difficult is it for most people?

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Why would that group of people have an easier time maintaining a marriage than "average" people?

Right, I don't have any proof, but I think it would be the other way around.

Top execs are often married to their jobs with less time for family. Actors are exposed often to very liberal and beautiful people (affairs are common). And people on the lower economic rungs are more incentivized to stay together to spend less money.

> And people on the lower economic rungs are more incentivized to stay together to spend less money.

The research actually shows that the upper end of the income distribution is more likely to 1) marry and 2) remain married. The lower and middle classes have been most disrupted by social change in the last 50 years.

Probably depends exactly where you draw the line, though - the A-list rich and famous types might well have greater rates of divorce, but there are few enough of them to bring down the average of the top 10% of earners or what have you.

A-list marriages are a very small group less than 1% of 1% or 1% of average rich/upper class people. They are usually part business strategy as well.

> Why would that group of people have an easier time maintaining a marriage than "average" people?

Because they are much more desirable than average people are.

Being more desirable mens's being tempted more often. Doesn't sound like a recipe for long-term marriage, unless you think great character and restraint correlates with being desirable.

Being more desirable also means your partner will put up with more misbehavior from you.

Not sure that tracks, because people tend to marry someone at roughly comparable attractiveness levels, all else being equal. If you're being mistreated and also presented with temptations, that doesn't sound like a stable situation.

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