Forget the 'seven-year-itch', the breaking point for most couples comes after three years, says a new research.
Forget the 'seven-year-itch', the breaking point for most couples comes after three years, says a new research.u00a0
The pressures of modern life means more than ever partners take each other for granted, argue and lose sexual appetite.
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And many couples are increasingly giving each other a "pass" to pursue their own interests or take solo holidays.
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"Traits and habits that are often endearing when we first start to see someone can often blow up into major irritations around the three-year mark. How you deal with these niggles will play a key part in whether a relationship survives," the Daily Express quoted relationship expert Judi James as saying.
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Judi added: "Often something that may appear trivial such as snoring can become a major stress point but if you can get past these niggles and communicate openly then there is no reason why a couple should not go the distance."
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Judi compared long-lasting relationships with short-term ones of less than three years.
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Long-term couples argue for an average of 2.7 hours every week - nearly six days of conflict a year - more than double the 1.2 hours of newer partners.
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Judi's research found that the top 10 passion-killers were their partner's weight gain, meanness with money, bad hygiene and antisocial working hours.
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These were followed by the other half's relatives, lack of romance, drinking too much, snoring, poor dress sense and bad bathroom habits.
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She found that tensions tend to increase significantly at the 36-month mark.
