调查：“三年之痒”已取代“七年之痒”

The "three-year glitch¹" has replaced the "seven-year itch²" as the tipping point where couples start to take each other for granted, according to a new survey.

根据一项新调查，“三年之痒”已经取代“七年之痒”成为情侣间关系的转折点，这时候情侣们会开始不那么重视对方。

Weight gain, stinginess（吝啬） , 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 pinpointed³ 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 spouses⁴ that many Britons resort to in order to keep romance alive.

"Longer working hours combined with money worries are clearly taking their toll⁵ on modern relationships and we are seeing an increasing trend for solo holidays and weekends away from marriages and relationships in order to revive（复兴） the romantic spark," said pollster Judi James who oversaw⁶ 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 partnerships⁷.

The findings showed that 67 percent of all of those surveyed said that small irritations⁸ 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（恭维，称赞） at the three-year high tide mark.

The prognosis（预知） 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.