The Real Reason For "The 7-Year Itch"

The Seven Year Itch was a movie starring Marilyn Monroe that was based around the premise that men begin to feel dissatisfied in their marriage about the 7-year mark. And there is evidence to support it. According to Cleveland Clinic, "the percentage of divorces, particularly in first-time marriages, tends to spike around the seven- or eight-year mark". Without examining what might be happening around the seven year mark, the article goes on to offer some solutions. These include working on communication skills, examining your assumptions of how your spouse feels, spend more time together, show your appreciation, choose you social circle wisely, get help from a professional, and reignite the spark. The last may be the most important point though. Research shows that "[o]nly 20% of women still want to have sex often once a relationship hits the 90-month mark, whereas men's desire for intimacy remains remarkably stable over time." And 90 months is 7.5 years.