shackin' up

Congratulations, cohabitants. You're no longer living in sin.

At least these research findings, some of which suggest that couples who cohabitate are less likely to divorce. An excerpt:

"The nature of cohabitation has changed," says Jay Teachman, a sociology professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham. "Cohabitators 20 years ago were the rule breakers, the rebels, the risk takers — the folks who were perhaps not as interested in marriage, and using cohabitation as an alternative to marriage."

"Twenty or 25 years ago, if you were cohabiting and then married them, the marriage was more likely to dissolve and end in divorce," he says. "Today, that's not the case. You can cohabit with your spouse and not experience increased risk of divorce. We're making these finer distinctions that we didn't make before."

I've never been married, or lived with a significant other. I understand the arguments in favor of cohabitation prior to marriage, but part of me is leery about the setup as well.

At times, I think people move in together too early in the relationship, so they're taking each other for granted before they've even left the getting-to-know-you phase. Also, it sometimes bothers me when people say they need to live with a partner to see if he/she is a messy person or has quirks like leaving hair in the shower drain.

Doesn't that kind of trivialize romance a bit? I mean, despite its possible benefits, I think a surge in cohabitation reinforces the idea that your best mate is absolutely perfect and has no flaws. Sometimes, I think cohabitation serves as an unnecessary screening process that divides partners based on trivial things (like cleanliness) when they're really compatible on a deeper, more important value-based level.

Thoughts?