50% divorce rate illusion
Gary John Bishop argues that roughly 50% of marriages end in divorce, but the remaining 50% are not necessarily happy — the bar for 'staying together' is simply too low.
Snapshot · The School of Greatness
Why You Tolerate a Relationship You Know Should End | Gary John Bishop
Explore episode
Jul 10, 2026
Where this was said
26 Years of Marriage: What Really Makes Love Last
At 40:29 · chapter starts 37:42
Lewis Howes asks Bishop directly what distinguishes deeply happy long-term relationships from those that merely survive. Bishop immediately challenges the premise of the surviving 50% — most, he suspects, are not happy, just tolerating. He observes that the bar has dropped so low that 'we get along' is considered a success, which is, as he deadpans, the same standard he has with the person who makes his coffee at Starbucks. He then uses his guitar playing as a model for relationship: you engage with it, you're curious about it, you want to get better at it, you like how it feels when something clicks. That active, generating engagement is what keeps any domain of life alive. Marriage is the same. You don't need to commit to the whole rest of your life — just today. It's moment to moment.
Similar snapshots
Only 42% of young men feel understood
Only 42% of young men think women understand their problems, and only 25% of young women say the same about men — a mutual comprehension deficit that previous generations largely closed as they aged.
Parents never mentioned marriage or parenthood
In focus groups across Philadelphia and Raleigh, every hand went up when asked if parents discussed financial stability and education, but no hands went up for marriage or parenthood.
1 in 5 children now only children
The share of American families with only children has risen dramatically, meaning more young people grow up without the negotiation, compromise, and friction that siblings naturally impose.
Young liberal women harassed most online
Young liberal women report experiencing sexual harassment online more frequently than conservative or moderate women, partly due to higher political posting activity drawing hostile responses.
Gen Z feminist identity gap: 15 points
Among Gen Z, a majority of women identify as feminist while only about 40% of men do — a 15-point gap that barely existed among Boomers, Gen X, or Millennials.
Third-space attendance dropped ~20 points post-COVID
A study conducted before and after the pandemic found that the share of Americans with a regular third space — a community gathering spot outside home and work — fell roughly 20 percentage points and has not recovered.
Majority under-50 feel parents saw them as special
Survey data shows a massive generational divide: most over-50s believe their parents viewed them as average, while a majority under-50 say their parents viewed them as special.
Women far less likely to condemn female cheating
When asked whether a woman cheating is morally wrong, young women were far less likely to take a hardline stance than older women or men, suggesting a shared-fate or experiential factor is shaping the judgment.
Men with more friends more likely to date
Survey data shows that men with more close friends are significantly more likely to have recently gone on a date or be in a committed relationship, highlighting the link between social integration and romantic success.
