Three year itch: Fast forward to Splitsville

Some couples (less and less, but still some) manage to make it unto death does them part.

For others (especially those with Marilyn Monroe

look-alike neighbors), seven is not a lucky number.  The 1955 film The Seven Year Itch was thus named

because of U. S. Census Bureau statistics that pointed

to seven marital years as being long enough for many (think Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston).  Although some

theories explain that seven years coincides with the time frame needed to successfully insure the survival of one or two children, there is no conclusive evidence that seven is the ultimate deal-breaker.

In fact, three has become the new seven.  A number of surveys are now indicating that the “three year glitch”

(often resulting in a “three year ditch”) is rapidly replacing its seven-year predecessor.  Kristin Wong of MSN reports that “more couples are breaking up at or around the three-year mark, according to a new study done in Ireland.”  This specifically amounts to 21 % of couples splitting up “between two and four years together…”  Many of these were parenting couples who reported that “having children had driven them apart.”

Reuters reports on a “study commissioned by Warner Brothers” (talk about scientific) that “surveyed 2,000

British adults in steady relationships.”  The results of this study pinpointed 36 months as the time frame at

which relationship stresses peak.  Reuters then listed these “top 10 everyday passion killers” that push many

a relationship over the brink:  weight gain/lack of exercise, money issues, anti-social working hours, hygiene issues, in-laws/extended family dynamics, lack of romance, alcohol abuse, anti-social bedtime habits, anti-social bathroom habits, and lapsed fashion.

In reading over these last ten “passion killers,” it is easy to imagine (or recall) how frustrating some of them can be.  However - are too many nail clippings on the bathroom rug, wearing the same pair of jeans three days in a row, or snoring up a storm really all that insurmountable?  And will one (or less – think Kim Kardashian) soon become the new three?

Resources

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/games-primates-play/201202/the-seven-year-itch-theories-marriage-divorce-and-love

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-11/entertainment/28699709_1_relationships-holidays-romance/2

http://living.msn.com/love-relationships/the-heart-beat-blog-post?post=5eb9c5c3-4b6d-4331-8a2d-c4f728b4e58a&ocid=OTD_0420

Copyright May 7, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved