The seven-year itch is the psychological theory that happiness in couples starts to deteriorate after seven years together, increasing the chances of a breakup.

The phrase became world-famous after Marilyn Monroe starred in a film of the same name in 1955, where she plays an attractive actress who becomes the focus of a married man’s affections.

But new research shows that psychologists got it wrong — the point in a marriage when a couple is most unhappy, therefore most likely to stray, is actually the 10-year mark.

A study involving more than 2,000 women born between 1957 and 1964 questioned their feelings about their marriage over 35 years.

During the interviews, students at Brigham Young University in Utah found that in two-thirds of marriages, happiness started at high levels but then steadily declined.

Women revealed themselves to be most unhappy in their relationships after 10 years together.

Researchers suggest that this point coincides with when the females are juggling the biggest workloads both in household chores and childcare.

But these levels of discord are short-lived, just five years later, women began to argue much less with their partners.

Those who managed to stay together for more than three decades found that their levels of happiness began to grow again, although for most it never reached the same levels as when they first got married.

Couples at this stage in their relationship also argued less than they had at any point in their marriage.

The researchers linked this upwards turn in emotion with the point when a couple’s children reached the age of financial independence.

七年之痒理论被推翻了：应该是十年之痒

心理学认为七年之痒是幸福夫妻在七年的相处之后关系开始恶化，并且可能导致关系破裂的一道坎。

这个词语在1955年影星玛丽莲·梦露主演的同名电影后闻名于世。在该片中，梦露饰演了一位被已婚男子深深着迷的富有魅力的女演员。

但是新的研究证明心理学家们搞错了 —— 在婚姻中，一对夫妻相处最不愉快也最容易关系破裂的时间是第十年。

该项研究由超过2000名出生于1957和1964年之间的妇女共同参与，主要询问她们关于在逾35年的婚姻生活中的感受。

在采访中，来自美国犹他州杨百翰大学的学生们发现三分之二的婚姻在刚开始时幸福值很高，但是之后就逐渐下降了。

妇女们透露她们在婚姻关系中最不愉快的时期是相处十年之后。

研究人员认为这一时期也正好与女性最忙碌的时期相吻合。在此阶段，女性面临沉重的负担，一边要处理家务一边还要照顾小孩。

不过这种不和谐是短暂的，再过五年，女性和丈夫的争吵又会大大减少。

那些成功与同伴在一起超过30年的女性发现她们的幸福水平又重新开始增长起来了，虽然这无法达到她们刚结婚时的水平。处于该阶段的夫妻的争吵量要比婚姻中的任何一阶段都要少。

研究人员认为这一时间段感情升温的原因与他们的子女达到了经济独立的年纪有关联。

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【七年之痒】

    qīniánzhīyǎng

    seven-year itch

    【吻合】

    wěnhé

    be identical; coincide

    【经济独立】

    jīnjìdúlì

    economic independent