Celebrity divorces are so prevalent that it’s impossible to keep up unless you work for TMZ or spend all day reading about “shocking splits” in gossip magazines. While the national divorce rate rests between 40 and 50 percent, celebrities seem to change their spouses almost as often as they change their sheets. Though it’s easy to make fun of this trend, there are numerous reasons that celebrity couples wind up in divorce – many of which are surprisingly sensible.

1. Temptation and Jealousy

Unless couples are in an “open marriage,” extramarital make-outs, intimate dance routines and steamy sexual encounters are enough for any spouse to pull the plug. Well, for celebrities it’s not uncommon for these types of scenarios to be a part of their everyday job description. And the people that they interact with are rarely unattractive. Temptation to take those chemistry-invoking, exhilarating scenes off the camera can be too much to resist for some stars, especially when they are away from their spouses shooting in another location.

For some celebrity couples, it’s the (sometimes unwarranted) jealousy of the other spouse that brings trust into question and ultimately leads to the demise of the marriage. This can not only be caused by sexy scenes that they end up witnessing, but can also be brought about by the sneaky media that have the marvelous capability of turning an innocent hug photographed by paparazzi into a “mysterious embrace between [insert celebrity] and hunk.”

2. Schedules that Don’t Regard the Spouse

Celebrities spend much of their time on the road. Many actors, models, singers and directors leave their hometowns to move to the bright lights in New York or the Hollywood Hills in California. Once they reach success they spend days, weeks or months away from their home and their families to work on projects around the world. Although spouses sometimes opt to travel together, the one who isn’t in the spotlight at the time often becomes tired and bored. When a couple has children together it is essential for one spouse to care for the kids, stay home with them, and try to keep their school and extracurricular schedules intact while the traveling partner is away. Problems will arise in any marriage when one or both partners is constantly away – issues range from lack of emotional support, to sexual dissatisfaction, to feeling single when you are actually married.

3. Narcissism

If you had mailboxes full of fan mail, people screaming their adoration for you from the streets and stands, and paparazzi chasing you to get every snapshot they could, your head might get a little big, too. With enough attention and idolization, celebrities often begin to believe the idea that they are, in fact, better than anyone else. It can be especially harmful to a marriage when that celebrity begins treating their spouse as inferior. This is especially detrimental among newly-famous people who can’t yet quite grasp the changes in their fame and popularity.

4. Economic Support

This doesn’t just go for spouses in the public eye – this refers to any couple that is financially stable. When a marriage has already gone sour and has reached the point of no return, wealthy couples don’t have to worry about the financial burdens of a divorce. They don’t work as hard at restoring what used to be, because they need not fret about lawyer expenses or the higher costs of living on one income.

What do you think contributes to the divorce rate? We’d like to hear from you.