This graphic, produced by pimsleurapproach.com, examines the benefits of being single. The graphic opens up by displaying some raw stats, not all of them pleasant. One third of all marriages end after 10 years according the graphic (frankly, I”m surprised that stat is as high as it is). 2/3 of people who are married stay together, though the graphic does not indicate for how long.

While I would like to believe that the divorce rate is much lower after people have been married for over ten years, I’m actually inclined to believe that this may not be the case for one simple reason: kids. I think many people remain locked into marriages they despise for the sake of their children, and if marriages are ending after ten years, it means that the couple is getting divorced when their children are only ten years old. I think most people who are only together for their children’s sake wait for the children to be teenagers before they file divorce papers, or if they are overly concerned about how their offspring will react, wait for their kids to go off to college before they begin the splitting process.

But this graphic isn’t about divorce, it’s about something not nearly as horrific: being single. The graphic argues that being married comes with many downsides. As many already suspected, marriages make most people gain weight. The graphic postulates that this is true because married people weigh more on average than single people. This theory actually revolves around a logical flaw, but I wouldn’t harp on that too much. All I will say is that it could be that people who weigh more get married more than people who weigh less. The graphic is not making any claims about how much weight the average person puts on after getting married, which would have been a much less specious argument.

The graphic then goes on to talk about how marriage can hit you where it hurts: in the wallet or pocketbook. Some quick stats:
–The average Valentine’s Day costs $160.37.
–44% of women are bothered if a man expects them to help pay for a meal (so much for gender equality?)
–The total costs a married couple endures while dating amounts to $40,441.92. Woo! Woo!

The graphic gets quite comical by the end, pointing out that instead of dating, a couple could purchase 259 years of World of Warcraft (talk about pure hell), 81 ipads (no one needs that many, no one), or 9,000 Starbucks macchiatos (mmm..9,000 cups of overpriced coffee). On to the grading segment we go.

Design: B+

Most graphics we feature on this site have a width of 660 pixels. This graphics width is only 430 pixels wide, making it one of the smallest graphics we’ve ever reviewed. That said, the graphic still holds its own. I think the design is strong overall and patchy in only a few areas, preventing me from giving it an A.

Content: A

The content of the graphic is excellent. The facts were original and thought-provoking, and the graphic actually provoked an emotional response. When a graphic brings about the emotional response that the author intended, we award it with an automatic A. The humor was a superb touch.