The Soundbite of Relationships
Not the 7 year itch - the 3 year glitch.
What now?
Bored? |
ADD - we can't even say Attention Deficit Disorder- our soundbite society uses the acronym. How do we treat this disorder? With speed. We want the next new thing - and now - in our relationships.
The survey of 2,000 British adults in steady relationships pinpointed the 36-month mark 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.
The findings showed that 67 percent of all of those surveyed said that small irritations which are seemingly harmless and often endearing during the first flushes of love often expand into major irritations around 36 months.
More than half of the Brits surveyed (52 percent) who were in younger relationships said they enjoyed sexual relations at least three times a week, compared to just 16 percent of those in relationships older than three years.
This suggests that as we get older together, romance gives way to day to day practicalities, supported by the fact that 55 percent of busy people in longer-term relationships admit that they now have to "schedule" their romantic time.
The report also said that those in the first flush of love can look forward to an average of three compliments a week from their partners — a figure which falls to an average of a single weekly compliment at the three-year high tide mark.
The prognosis gets worse the longer we stay in relationships, three in 10 of those surveyed that have been in a relationship for five years or more said that they never receive any compliments from their partners.
The findings also showed that more than three quarters (76 percent) of all people surveyed responded that "individual space was important" within a relationship and pointed to a rise of individual activities.
A third (34%) of those who have been seeing their partners for longer than three years have at least two evenings a month defined as a "pass" or a "ticket" where it is accepted that they can pursue their own interests and 58 percent of the same sample group enjoy regular holidays without their partners.
Request a Consultation
The top 10 everyday passion-killers:
1. Weight gain/lack of exercise, 13 percent;
2. Money & Spend thriftiness, 11 percent;
3. Anti-social working hours, 10 percent;
4. Hygiene (personal cleanliness), 9 percent;
5. In-Laws/extended family - too much/too little, 9 percent;
6. Lack of romance (sex, treats etc.), 8 percent;
7. Alcohol - drinking too much, 7 percent;
8. Snoring & anti social bedtime habits, 6 percent;
9. Lapsed fashion-Same old underwear/clothes, 4 percent;
10. Bathroom habits - Stray nail cuttings etc., 4 percent.
Truth withstands all questions.
