Meet *Kanupriya, a 32-year-old marketing professional who is stepping up the corporate ladder. While her professional life is flourishing, she is growing her personal life from scratch– one connection at a time. Kanupriya married her colleague from a previous company after dating for a few months, but within the first two years of their marriage, things started going downhill. The duo got divorced and Kanupriya is now rebuilding her relationships and personal life.On the other hand, meet *Rahul, a 35-year-old engineer, opted for an arranged marriage just like most young men of his age. But as fate would have it, his marriage fizzled as soon as the initial sparks faded in his relationship. In roughly three years, he and his ex-wife opted out of the marriage on the grounds of incompatibility– something that neither side of the families ever saw coming.Well, if you find this relatable or know of someone whose marriage frizzled even before it hit the 7-year-itch mark– then you aren’t alone. While modern relationships are complex, it seems that modern marriages, too, have become short-lived. So much so that couples seem to be parting ways as soon as that initial butterflies-in-your-stomach rush fades away and the quiet doubts creep in about “is he/she the right person?”If your relationship feels restless around year three – not seven – you’re not flawed or unlucky. You’re smack in the middle of modern love’s accelerated timeline. The classic 7-year itch, once a mid-marriage myth, now seems to arrive early, leaving couples emotionally drained even before they’ve started building a life together. In our app-driven, burnout-fueled 2026 world, what used to simmer for seven years, boils over in three. It’s heartbreaking, relatable, and the good part – fixable. Read on to know how modern relationships have now changed and how to make your marriage long-lasting:
What is the 7-year itch?
We truly seem to be living in a strange world it seems. At a time when couples are getting divorced over petty issues, a woman in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, India had recently filed for a divorce from her husband within only 18 months of her marriage. The reason? The wife told the Sharia court in Sambhal that her husband loved her “too much” and would not fight with her because of which she was “fed up”, according to Dainik Jagran. “Neither he [husband] ever shouted at me nor he ever disappointed me over any issue. I am feeling suffocated in such an environment… Whenever I make a mistake, he always forgives me for that. I wanted to argue with him,” she complained, as per the report.However, listening to her bizarre reason for divorce, the cleric of the Sharia court was not only baffled, but he also dismissed her plea, calling it frivolous. The woman had also approached the local panchayat for the same, but they too had refused to give a ruling on this matter!Meanwhile, a similar incident was reported by Khaleej Times sometime back when an Arab woman had sought divorce because her husband is “too nice and weak”, and never fought back with her! The couple were married for 12 years and had two children together.
Picture a sweaty Tony Curtis eyeing Marilyn Monroe’s skirt in the 1955 Hollywood movie ‘The Seven Year Itch’. That scene birthed the term: Around year seven, boredom breeds in relationships as passion cools and couples start taking each other for granted. Back then, psychologists tied it to biology – dopamine highs of early love dip into steady companionship, just long enough to raise kids. And divorce stats peaked at 4-7 years of a marriage.But now: The itch strikes at year three. Relationships and marriages today are no longer slow build-up – instead, considering the swipe-right world we live in, they feel like sprints that quickly lead to friction. Here’s why:
Why it happens
Blame the blitz. Relationships ignite at warp speed – no drawn-out dating phases. Emotional intimacy hits week one; boundaries blur by month three. While this might seem thrilling at first, but the fast pace is not sustainable in the long run. That early closeness exhausts the honeymoon phase of the relationship even before year three.Living-in together before marriage, adds fuel to it. How? A 2018 study by Rosenfeld & Roesler found that premarital cohabitation lowers divorce risk only in year 1 but raises it thereafter (up to 15-20% higher odds long-term), due to adjustment shocks. Then, comes technoference, where phones (read technology) steal presence. A 2025 Journal of Digital Social Behavior study found “technoference” (phone distractions) as the top counselling complaint, accelerating disconnection in couples by year 3.Add burnout and stress due to work, endless dating-app options, financial burdens, and shifting gender roles, sparking “who’ll do the household chores” negotiations– and relationships/ marriages are easily crumbling today. And so, modern love seems like a pressure cooker on fast-forward.
Symptoms to look out for
It sneaks up soft, then stabs. The very first sign is disconnection: Side-by-side silences feel lonely. Routine suffocates – intimacy on Saturdays feel mundane, talks about household chores feels like a duty. Irritability spikes over trivia; resentment simmers (“Why am I always initiating?”). And in your heart, you feel trapped in the marriage; being solo sounds exciting again.
How to fix it
Breathe – this isn’t doom-scrolling your way out. First, pause the pace: Name the itch aloud. “Hey, we’re hitting that wall- it’s time to reconnect”. Vulnerability disarms it. Rediscover solo joy – gym, hobbies, friends – to refill your cup, not drain your partner’s.Add the spark back to your marriage by interrupting routines, and planning spontaneous dates. Have no-phone dinners, “joy jars” with wild ideas, and rebuild intimacy.For deeper issues in your marriage, couples counselling can help flip the scripts. Seek therapy proactively and not just as a last resort. Prioritise your growth together by having shared goals.How are you bringing the joy back into your marriage? Tell us in the comment section below.*Names have been changed to protect people’s identities
