A study from the University of Alberta showed that heterosexual couples had more, and better sex when men helped around the house. Researchers believe that the correlation has to do with the woman in the relationship feeling respected. When a partner pulls his weight, he prevents anger and bitterness, creating a more fertile ground in which a satisfying sexual encounter may occur.
2. You are negatively influenced by your friends
If you surround yourself with friends in toxic relationships, it can end up having a negative effect on your own. Your friends' actions can actively influence your marriage, whether you realize it or not. Bad relationships and boundaries are toxic and actively at play in changing your own habits. Of course, it's okay to be a shoulder to cry on when your friends are going through a rough patch. However, you should steer clear of people who are cheating on their spouse or seem to have neverending relationship issues. Once you get those people out of your life, it will be easier for you to make friends.
Being materialistic is not going to work for you if you want your relationship to last. A study from researchers at Brigham Young University found that married individuals with higher levels of materialism had less satisfying marriages. The study also determined that materialism was more closely related to possession-oriented happiness than relationship-oriented happiness. As the pursuit of money and possessions are prioritized, it appears that other dimensions of life, such as relationships, are pushed aside.
4. You snore
When one partner snores, the other is left tossing and turning all night due to a lack of sleep. This leads to fights and feelings of dissatisfaction. A study from the Sleep Disorders Center at Rush University Medical Center found that when a husband suffers from sleep apnea, the marriage is the real victim. A lack of sleep from both partners puts a strain on the marriage and creates a hostile and tense situation. When the snoring spouse underwent treatment for two weeks, the other partner's marital satisfaction score improved by 93%.
Television can not only rot your brain, it can also ruin your relationship. Research showed that individuals who believed in the relationships they saw portrayed on TV were less committed to their actual relationship and more strongly associated it with a loss of personal freedom. In fact, study author Dr. Jeremy Osborn told Science Daily that people who believe the unrealistic portrayals on TV think their alternatives to their spouse are relatively attractive. "We live in a society that perpetually immerses itself in media images from both TV and the web, but most people have no sense of the ways those images are impacting them."
6. Your intimacy is too intense
While it may sound counterintuitive, all the lovey-dovey acts of affection should be dialed down if you want your relationship to last. According to research published in Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes found that couples who divorced after seven or more years exhibited almost one-third more affection than those who stuck it out. Study authors believe that this happens because that level of affection is hard to keep up.
You shouldn't just watch romantic comedies for your partner's sake. According to a three-year study, which analyzed couple therapy programs, it was found that people who watched romantic movies and discussed the relationships in them afterward had a 50% lower divorce rate.
8. You have unrealistic expectations
Have you ever passed a man on the street and thought to yourself: 'He could be cute if he dressed a little better and cut his hair.' But when you try to pursue this almost-perfect gent, you will spend the entire relationship hoping for someone else - the perfect specimen you created in your head. Consequently, we are never truly happy. Unmet expectations are a huge relationship killer. They think that over time, they'll be able to mold them into someone else, but this just leads to disappointment and anger.
10. You’re too stubborn
Prolonging a futile fight isn't going to hurt anyone but yourself. If you find yourself holding on to anger toward your spouse, ask yourself: why am I actually angry? If you are unable to answer that question, then it might be time to be the bigger person and say sorry.
13. You aren't attuned to your partner's feelings
In a relationship, 'I feel your pain' should be something you both say and mean. A study from the American Psychological Association found that relationship satisfaction was directly linked to each partner's ability to perceive their significant other's emotions. Based on their findings, the study authors encourage couples to emphasize with one another and communicate when they sense emotion, whether it's pleasure or pain.
