The “three-year glitch” has replaced the “seven-year itch” as the tipping point where couples start to take each other for granted, according to a new survey.
Weight gain, stinginess, toe-nail clippings on the bathroom floor and snoring are a few of the passion-killers that have led to a swifter decline in relationships in the fast-paced 21st century, said the study commissioned by Warner Brothers to promote the release of comedy film Hall Pass in UK cinemas.
The survey of 2,000 British adults in steady relationships pinpointed the 36-month marker as the time when relationship stress levels peak and points to a new trend of “pink passes” and “solo” holidays away from partners and spouses that many Britons resort to in order to keep romance alive.
“Longer working hours combined with money worries are clearly taking their toll on modern relationships and we are seeing an increasing trend for solo holidays and weekends away from marriages and relationships in order to revive the romantic spark,” said pollster Judi James, who oversaw the survey.
The poll compared feedback from those in short-term relationships (defined as less than three years) and people who were married or in longer-term partnerships.
The findings showed that 67 percent of all of those surveyed said that small irritations that are seemingly harmless and often endearing during the first flushes of love often expand into major irritations around 36 months.
The top 10 everyday niggles and passion-killers were:
1. Weight gain/lack of exercise
2. Money & stinginess
3. Anti-social working hours
4. Hygiene issues
5. In-laws/extended family
6. Lack of romance
7. Alcohol
8. Snoring
9. Lapsed fashion
10. Bathroom habits
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