Have you heard of the phase” the seven-year itch?” If you see the movie starred by Marilyn Monroe, you might understand what this phase means then. The seven-year itch is a psychological term that suggests that happiness in a relationship declines after around year seven of a marriage. But Do you know why? The existence of this phenomenon is not a mysterious marriage curse but has a scientific explanation. Even though there are still different theories about this seven year itch phenomenon, we can not deny that  “crazy in love” feelings normally does not last forever in marriage life.  There is a new research about the three different stages of the chemical that are produced during a marriage. The first stage is the crazy in love stage. When two people fall in love, a chemical called dopamine (here is a video!!!dopamine and love)will run over your body especially your mind to give you that exciting, romantic feelings that makes you believe you can be the main characters in a romantic movie.  So the problem is what will happen if dopamine go away? Will those madly in love couples still have feelings for each other?  In real life,the second stage shows that many couples lose that feelings when dopamine rushes subside and this usually happens after two years of marriage. The last stage is the bottle neck period. A study by University of Michigan and Stony Brook University found that Boredom can become the fatal point in a marriage. The study found that couples who reported feelings of boredom in their marriage during year seven, also reported less happiness and marital satisfaction nine years later. As a result,researchers concluded that feeling boredom during year seven of marriage can be a main reason why so many marriage ends in its seventh year because it reduces the marriage satisfaction. 

But what about those marriages succeeded in battling seven years itch? Scientists find chemicals behind the lasting marriage.In a lasting marriage, couples intend to produce bonding or attachment chemicals that help keep them feeling romance for the other partner. The study shows that “Even after the lust is a distant memory. After sex, our brains are filled with the attachment hormone oxytocin, which helps bond partners for the long-term. This could be a reason why couples who report more frequent sexual encounters with one another tend to stick together longer and claim higher levels of marital satisfaction.” This explains why sexual encounters are beneficial to marriages.

So now we know that 7 years itch do happens, here are some tips to avoid the seven years itch. As I mentioned a research shows that boredom can be a fatal cause of divorce,it is important keep a marriage interesting. Maybe couples should do fun stuff together more frequently.  Second, always have faith in your partner and marriage!Because trust plays a huge part in a marriage. Last but not the least, you should always enjoy your marriage and become a better person for your partner!!!