Valentine’s Day, the nationally recognized day of love, is right around the corner. However, for some of us this year, Cupid’s arrow will strike with thoughts of divorce instead of romance. In fact, the number of consumers seeking information about divorce will increase more than 40% around Valentine’s Day. So why are so many individuals exploring the possibility of divorce around this time of the year?

Philadelphia divorce attorney Jennifer Brandt explains that this phenomenon occurs because Valentine’s Day “forces us to assess our romantic relationships […]. Many people realize that they are not happy in the situation they are in and there is no possibility of it improving. Thus, they may turn toward divorce to get a fresh start.” Edward Weinstein, a New Jersey divorce attorney, offers a similar explanation: “My theory is that when you have these kinds of sentimental holidays, people start saying, ‘I deserve to be happy.’”

Avvo.com, one of the world’s largest online legal forums, also recently conducted studies that show the number of consumers seeking information about divorce escalates around Valentine’s Day. Leigh McMilllan, vice president of marketing with Avvo, states that the spike is so consistent and so prominent that researchers are coining this increase in divorce searches as the “Valentine’s Effect.” Avvo has consistently seen a large increase in the number of people searching for information on divorce around Valentine’s Day for the past four years. Women comprise of a majority of the searches (67%) and the big cities are hit the hardest – Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, and Dallas lead the country in the number of people searching online for a divorce lawyer.

If you are considering divorce or have questions about divorce planning, please contact our California Certified Family Law Specialists (as certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization). Our attorneys have decades of experience handling complex family law proceedings and offer a free consultation.

Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results.  While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice.  Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Sources: http://www.mainstreet.com/article/family/marriage/divorce/valentines-effect-causes-40-explore-divorce?page=1; http://jamiat.org.za/blog/valentines-day-causes-a-peak-in-number-of-divorces-research-2/