婚姻：“十二年之痒”是难关

爱思英语编者按：据报道，传统观点认为，“七年”是婚姻的一个坎儿，爱情渐渐变淡，取而代之的是幻想的破灭和失望。但成功度过“七年之痒”的夫妇不要沾沾自喜。一项研究表明，现代婚姻的真正最大的威胁其实是十二年之痒。更多信息请访问：http://www.24en.com/

It has traditionally been the time when love and affection give way to disillusion and disappointment.

But couples who manage to survive the seven-year itch would be wise not to get complacent.

The biggest threat to modern marriages actually comes from the 12-year itch, research has revealed.

The majority of couples who divorce have now spent more than a decade together before going their separate ways.

And they are increasingly likely to cite "growing apart" or "falling out of love" as the cause of their split.

There has been a four-fold increase in couples breaking up for these reasons in the last two years, amid increasing financial strain on families.

But infidelity is still responsible for more than a quarter of divorces. The seven-year itch - or the theory that adultery becomes impossible to resist after seven years - got its name from the 1950s film starring Marilyn Monroe.

The study by the Grant Thornton accountancy group, which was based on a survey of 90 of the country"s biggest family law firms, echoed figures released last year which showed that marriages are most likely to fall apart around the 12-year mark.

Sally Longworth, of Grant Thornton"s Forensic and Investigation Services, said: "This rather dispels the age-old myth about marriages failing after seven years.

"It is impossible to put any scientific reasoning on why certain marriages succeed and others fail."