With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it seems love and affection is in the air once again. Left and right, one can see happy couples cooing over their significant others, and it seems as if those two seemingly perfect people have cracked the code of love. But in an age of incredibly high divorce rates and even higher standards of relationships, is it even possible to find that 'one true love' we all dream about?

The fact of the matter is our generation has set expectations of our significant others so impossibly high that we've practically stumped ourselves into a relationship-marriage-divorce-repeat cycle. And it doesn't help seeing cultural icons' relationship statuses updated every minute of our lives: "Kim Kardashian files for divorce, Drew Barrymore remarries for the third time, Tom Cruise ends long-standing relationship with wife number three." These people have been married two, three, sometimes four or more times, yet we exude no emotional response to the situation. We are no longer surprised by celebrity splits, and it seems that same apathy has trickled into our personal lives.

Approximately forty to fifty percent of all first marriages end in divorce, according to a study conducted at Utah State University. The study list some of the highest contributing factors, including young marriage (marriage age 24 and under), pregnancy or childbearing before marriage, and lower education. Divorcees that choose to remarry face a sixty-seven percent divorce rate according to Psychology Today, and those that marry three or more times face a seventy-three percent divorce rate. In short, the numbers aren't good.

So what's preventing us from keeping our relationships together?

Perhaps the most prominent thing lacking in modern relationships is communication. A Huffington Post survey reported that the number one factor leading to divorce was lack of communication among spouses, accounting for sixty-five percent of divorces. Another forty-three percent attributed the separation to the inability to resolve conflict.

So if we fix our communication problems, everything will be fine?

Not quite. Unfortunately, relationships crumble for a number of reasons. One often hears the "loss of that spark," or descriptions of sudden boredom. This problem leads back into the idea that society's standards of relationships and marriages are so unreasonably high that any relationship seems to fall short. An article published by MSN lists one of the most important things to understand in a relationship is that the "spark", a.k.a. the feeling of new love, wears off in about a year. The list also notes the importance of understanding that both you and your partner are individual people, not one person, and you have to figure out how to live as such. That's not to say it's impossible to live happily together, but rather to acknowledge your differences instead of burying them.

Despite the facts, I still think it's possible to find that special person in the world. All too often, I see people getting into relationships for the sake of being in a relationship. Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that entering a relationship involves commitment, loyalty, and love, and they are much more work than they appear to be. If you're not willing to be in the relationship at all times (you can't just be there for the good times and run out when things get rough) don't get into it. What's more, if you're not happy in a relationship, communicate with your partner! Relationships shouldn't be painstaking work, and you certainly shouldn't dislike being in your relationship. And lastly, let your partner know how much they mean to you. A compliment or sign of affection is always nice.