The 7-Year Itch is the idea that marriages start to decline or end in divorce around the seven-year mark due to boredom or even unhappiness. Either one or both partners can feel the 7-Year Itch and can be produced by several different factors, including: Lack of communication. Miscommunication.
The seven-year itch is the idea that after seven years in a relationship, whether that's as a married couple or cohabitees, we start to become restless. Bored perhaps. Everything begins to feel a little bit mundane or routine. Anecdotally, it's said we're more likely to go our separate ways around this time.
The seven-year itch or 7-year itch refers to the notion that divorce rates reach their height around the seven-year mark of commitment. While this concept has been widely disputed, it is a concern that plagues many if they start experiencing marital issues seven years into their relationship.
Final Thoughts. The hardest years of marriage are the first, third, fifth, and seventh or eighth. As mentioned earlier, the lack of communication and unrealistic expectations are the ultimate relationship killers. However, finding solutions and sticking through the ups and downs will strengthen the relationship.
If you've ever heard that year seven is the make-it-or-break-it year for marriages, you may start to get nervous as that anniversary approaches. The seven-year itch, as it's called, is a term that describes feeling restless or dissatisfied in a relationship — typically at that seven-year mark.
Divorce lawyers, psychologists, and researchers have slotted years of marriage into periods and have rated them based on their risk of divorce: Years 1–2: Very Risky. Years 3–4: Mild Risk. Years 5–8: Very Risky.
The first year of the relationship is the hardest stage, and even when you're living together, you still discover new things about each other every day. How to Survive: The key to getting past the discovery stage is also discovery. The discovery of your partner's imperfections and your imperfections as well.
The 7-Year Itch is the idea that marriages start to decline or end in divorce around the seven-year mark due to boredom or even unhappiness. Either one or both partners can feel the 7-Year Itch and can be produced by several different factors, including: Lack of communication. Miscommunication.
While there are countless divorce studies with conflicting statistics, the data points to two periods during a marriage when divorces are most common: years 1 – 2 and years 5 – 8. Of those two high-risk periods, there are two years in particular that stand out as the most common years for divorce — years 7 and 8.
After settling down, restlessness and breakaways are common.
According to the census bureau, the average length of first marriages for divorcing couples is 8.2 years, reflecting the infamous "seven-year-itch." But why seven instead of, say, 11 or 15? Good question. Here's the thinking.
The move is hardly subversive – it ends with Richard fleeing The Girl to reunite with his wife and son – but at least it recognizes that even for the most resolutely determined among us, that thumb is occasionally going to twitch.
There are several cycles in marriage that make certain years harder than others. The 1st year is harder because couples are still getting used to each other. 7th year is hard as kids start going to school and all the love hormones, such as oxytocin and dopamine which were high initially, now run dry.
The average age of a husband and wife, who married 7 years ago, was 25 years at the time of their marriage. Now, the average age of the family including the husband, wife and a child, born during the interval, is 22 years.
Divorce rates
In 1922, the median duration of marriage that ended in divorce was 6.6 years. In 1974, the median duration was 7.5 years. In 1990, the median duration was 7.2 years. While these can fluctuate from year to year, the averages stay relatively close to the seven year mark.
The traditional gifts for a seventh anniversary are copper and wool. Copper is durable and represents love and protection. A practical gift like a copper growler can be greatly appreciated. In contrast, wool is symbolic of warmth and comfort.
The average age for a couple entering their first divorce is 30 years old. And 60% of divorces involve spouses between the ages of 25 and 39. Women are more likely to file for divorce than men. The highest divorce rate is for African-American women aged 50 to 59.
According to various studies, the 4 most common causes of divorce are lack of commitment, infidelity or extramarital affairs, too much conflict and arguing, and lack of physical intimacy.
The average length of a first marriage in the United States clocks in at seven years. Most of those people get married for a second time, which can also end in divorce. Second marriages have a 60% chance of ending, and third marriages have a 73% chance of divorce. The odds increase the more marriages someone has.
Origin of “Seven-Year Itch”
The seven-year itch used to be a physical condition. It was a rash caused by a bacterial infection known as scabies. Back then, scabies took up to seven years to cure. The use of the phrase seven-year itch can also be traced to the play Seven-Year Itch by George Axelrod in 1952.
While many marriages fail shortly after a couple marries, divorce after 30 years is fairly common too. A marriage breakdown after 30 years may be due to the empty nest syndrome, infidelity, different interests, retirement, or other reasons. Some spouses just want their independence.
Divorce is a difficult decision that can have long-lasting effects. It's not surprising, then, to learn that many people regret their choice to divorce after the fact.
Stonewalling is when a person in a relationship withdraws from an interaction, shuts down, and simply stops responding to their partner. Rather than confronting the issue, people who stonewall resort to evasive maneuvers.
Apparently, there is also a “Ten Year Itch!” According to a study at Brigham and Women's University, where over 2000 women were surveyed, the highest level of marital dissatisfaction occurs around the 10th year of marriage.
A 2002 study found that two-thirds of unhappy adults who stayed together were happy five years later. They also found that those who divorced were no happier, on average, than those who stayed together. In other words, most people who are unhappily married—or cohabiting—end up happy if they stick at it.