Ever wondered why so many relationships end around the 2-year mark? Or, why do couples break up after 2 years?
It’s not strictly a coincidence that a lot of couples break up on or around the 2-year mark.
First of all, getting past the first year is tough. An estimated 70% of new relationships end within one year.
Then there is year 2, which brings a whole new batch of problems and challenges.
You now know a lot more about each other, certain habits you once enjoyed are starting to grate on you, and things don’t feel as fresh and exciting as they did. (Right?)
Whether you’re just interested in the psychology behind why so many relationships end at the 2-year mark, or you’re approaching that point yourself on rocky ground – here is a look at why so many relationships end and what you can do to beat the odds:
5 Reasons Why Couples Break Up After 2-Years
First of all, you need to get a good understanding of why a lot of relationships end at around the 2-year mark.
By understanding the most common breakup causes, you might be able to see the cracks appearing and do something about it to save your own relationship.
Here are a bunch of the most common causes of relationships breaking down:
The New Relationship Euphoria Is Wearing Off
Call it “the honeymoon period”, “new love”, whatever you will, anyone who’s been in a new relationship will know that the first months, a year, or even longer is fueled by lust, joy, and other emotions.
This always fades, it has to.
How much it fades and how quickly, as well as what it looks like when the dust settles plays a big role in whether or not a couple makes it past the two-year mark.
Trust Issues Start Creeping In
Trust issues are one of the most common – and contagious – reasons why couples split up. Without trust, a relationship is missing some of the key elements that help create a strong bond; security and safety.
Some of these issues may have grounds, but it really doesn’t matter. If there is a lack of trust in a relationship from one or both parties, it’s usually a matter of time before you part ways.
You Realise You Have Different Goals in Life
It’s perfectly normal to be on your best behavior and feel like your goals align with a new partner when you first meet.
Fast forward 1-2 years and things often start to look a lot different. Not only do you realize that you don’t have the same goals, you may start to realize that your paths to get to your end goal also do not align.
Compatibility Issues of Surfacing
It’s also hard to notice, or at least to take notice, of compatibility issues when the relationship is new. Given time, those compatibility issues go much more obvious and are probably starting to cause friction.
By the 2 year mark, it’s a lot more obvious which of the compatibility issues you’re going to be able to work around and those that you aren’t.
Your Priorities Have Changed
A lot of relationships end because one or both of the parties in a relationship start to have different priorities in life.
This may or may not be due to the relationship, but it can cause a serious problem. This can mean things like wanting to travel, wanting to be alone, wanting/not wanting a family, pursuing hobbies, and so on.
If one person’s priorities no longer involve the other, it’s going to create a rift in a relationship that is only going to widen over time.
Related – 8 signs a relationship is beyond saving.
How to Avoid Breaking Up After 2 Years
If your relationship is worth fighting for and you’re willing to put in the time to work on it, here are some of the tried and tested tips for preventing breaking up:
Work on Communication
Good communication is absolutely essential if a relationship is going to work. The act of communicating is what helps two people connect and understand each other on a deep and meaningful level.
On the flip side, poor communication is one of the leading causes of conflict in relationships. If you find it difficult to communicate, start to work on this together sooner rather than later.
Make Time to Show Your Partner You Love Them
It’s so easy in this digital age to get caught up in being ‘busy’ doing not very much, and not having time for our partners.
Make the time to surprise them now and then. Do little things – like you used to when you first met them – to remind them of how much they mean to you.
You’ll soon notice that when you start doing thoughtful things for your other half, they will also start doing little things for you.
Support Them in Whatever They’re Trying to Achieve
Relationships are about give and take, and a large part of that is giving a piece of yourself to support your partner in whatever it is they are trying to achieve.
This might be a personal goal, working on a hobby, or a work-related goal. Whatever it is, no matter how important – or not – it is to you, you get behind them 100-percent.
Set Aside Regular Time for Date Nights
Just as it gets harder and harder to do the special little things for our partner’s over time, the dating phase is also so far behind us by the 2-year mark.
Yet, the dating part was the most fun, right?
It’s been scientifically proven that couples in long-term relationships who set regular date nights are much happier, and much more likely to stay together longer.
Mark dates in the calendar where the two of you are going to go out and spend the evening together. This could be once a week, once a month, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stick to it.
Related – Here’s what to do when your partner is not including you in their plans.
Related Questions:
What Happens After 2 Years of Dating?
There’s no one particular that happens after 2-years of dating. A lot of couples seem to think something changes the moment you pass the 2-year mark, this isn’t the case.
It just so happens that by 2 years a lot of couples have been through the same emotions. It’s also a milestone that some people take notice of.
The best advice is to not pay attention to how many months or years you’ve been with your partner.
But rather to focus on where you’re at in your relationship in regards to where you want to be. As well as what you can do together to work towards your individual and collective goals.
Is The “2-Year Relationship Slump” Real?
Call it the “2-year relationship slump” if you will. As I’ve discussed in this article, getting past 2 years in a relationship is no easy feat.
A lot happens in 2 years, how it’s affected you and how much time and effort you’re willing to put into making sure your relationship survives is going to determine whether or not you become part of the statistics.
Is 2 Years Long for a Relationship?
I’ve read various studies into how long the average relationship lasts. Now, you have to take the results from these studies with a pinch of salt, because there are so many variables that affect this data.
But that said, the average relationship nowadays seems to last somewhere between two and a half years and 3 years.
So, to answer the question, “is 2 years long for a relationship?” the word ‘long’ is a little subjective, but I would say, “yes”. 2 years is a long time for a relationship taking into account the average.
What Time of Year Do Most Couples Break Up?
If you’re trying to weather the storm, believe it or not, there are certain times of the year when couples are much more likely to break up.
These are; are on Valentine’s Day, during spring, during summer holidays, and on or around Christmas.
This is largely due to the pressure of these holidays. For a lot of couples, or individuals, these holidays either conjure up memories of happier times, or they are bombarded with marketing and promotional messages showing perfect couples.
It makes them reflect on how their relationship is going. This creates feelings of starting anew and chasing a dream or a happier future.
Image Credits – Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.