05-05-2025
'Terminal phase': Couples hit point of no return two years before actual breakup
The researchers say couples who eventually separated had a relationship satisfaction level that declined gradually over several years before a significant drop. — CHRISTIN KLOSE/dpa
New research into relationships has shown that couples who break up reach a point of no return as much as two years before their relationship formally ends.
In these couples, relationship satisfaction gradually declines, and then, about one to two years before the breakup, there is a sharp drop, after which there is no coming back for the relationship, explains Janina Buhler, one of two authors of the study.
Couples are already well aware that relationship satisfaction typically decreases over the course of a romantic relationship, but the two researchers at Swiss and German universities were keen to understand why decline is particularly common in the early years of being together.
For people seeking to stay in their relationships despite turbulence, the research underscores the importance of seeking couples therapy early, before reaching the so-called 'terminal phase' that leads to an ultimate breakup.
The study – published in March in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology – found that many couples face a particular low point after 10 years.
Buhler, together with Ulrich Orth from the University of Bern in Switzerland, examined partnerships and their dissolution from the perspective of the end of the relationship.
The research duo analysed results from four earlier studies conducted in Germany, Australia, Britain and the Netherlands.
During these long-term studies, participants were regularly asked about their relationships and their lives.
'This means the statements were not made retrospectively, but we can precisely track how the breakup occurred,' explains Buhler from the University of Mainz in Germany.
The researchers found that couples who eventually separated had a relationship satisfaction level that declined gradually over several years before a significant drop.
After this point, these couples separated within seven to 28 months – all of them, the study noted. 'Once this phase is reached, a breakup is inevitable,' Buhler says.
However, couples often seek professional help only at the breaking point – when it is usually too late. 'If partners are in the pre-terminal phase, before the steep decline begins, efforts to improve the relationship can be more effective, and a breakup might be prevented,' the psychologist added. – dpa
