Sometimes love lasts forever, but most people will experience a failed relationship in their lifetime, whether it’s for better or worse. Relationships can fall apart under unusual circumstances, but there are often a few common causes leading to love fading and crumbling to pieces. Read about them below.
- Communication issues Communication is one of the most important parts of a relationship. So naturally, when a couple has communication issues, it’s more likely that the love between them will fade or the relationship will fail. Communication issues leads to misunderstandings, which can then lead to hurt feelings and resentments. Sometimes, when communication has been low between a couple for a long time, it’s difficult to even recognize that there’s an issue. This makes it even harder to combat the problem.
- Issues with trust Like communication, trust is key in a relationship. When two people who are supposed to love each other can’t trust each other, it’s super-difficult to keep that love up. Trust can fade over time after specific hurtful events, such as one person cheating or keeping a big secret from the other. And while trust issues can be difficult to fix, you can earn someone’s trust back.
- Controlling behaviors According to Mind Body Green, controlling behaviors are another cause of relationship failure. These behaviors can often stem from fears or insecurities that one of the partners has. For example, if you fear that you’re not good enough for your partner, you may try to impose restrictions on them so they don’t leave you, which then backfire. Or if you believe they’ll cheat on you, you may become possessive and scare them away.
- Not being on the same page One of the other leading causes of relationship failure is not being on the same page. When two people have differing expectations, that miscommunication can leave one or both of them dissatisfied with the relationship. A classic example is one person wanting children and the other person not wanting children, and both not communicating that this is a non-negotiable for them. Rather than being on the same page, they expect the other person to come around. They expect the issue to work itself out. And unfortunately, it rarely happens like that.
- Life habits Life habits can be another factor that can cause the end of a relationship. These are things that don’t actually directly relate to your significant other but may still affect them. The most well-known example is gambling. A gambling problem doesn’t have anything to do with your SO, until it becomes so much of a problem that it strains the relationship.
- Financial issues Sadly, money can be a huge issue when it comes to relationships. Differing opinions on how to handle money is one of the biggest problems that can lead to two people breaking up. Because money is such an important part of life for most people, a clash of values on this topic is usually something that can be quite heated and destructive.
- Compatibility problems Compatibility problems are also a top cause of relationships failing, according to Psychology Today. When two people just aren’t compatible, it’s hard to make a relationship work in the long run. There are several reasons why two people might not be compatible. They include no physical chemistry, differing values, different routines, different goals, and different personalities.
- Life events Unfortunately, life events can get in the way of love. When something life-changing happens, it usually brings people together or pushes them apart. The good news is that most people who are in love find that their bond is strengthened when they go through something awful together. But it is possible that these huge life events can result in the end of the relationship. For example, if someone is diagnosed with a serious illness, someone goes bankrupt, there’s a death in the family, or a new job comes up, it can put a lot of pressure on the relationship.
- Comparison Comparison is definitely the thief of joy. A couple who is otherwise happy might feel dissatisfied with their relationship when they constantly compare it to other people’s. The need to compete with other couples can also cause a lot of pressure and strain. It can also lead to one person in the relationship feeling resentful because their partner is more focused on the outside world than them.
