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Couples therapist explainsThe seventh year itch – what's the truth about the love myth?
Raúl Richter and his girlfriend Vanessa Schmitt also met!
Despite a functioning relationship, many couples fear the darned seventh year. The myth comes from a Hollywood film starring icon Marilyn Monroe – but is there really anything to it? RTL asks a couples therapist.
This is when most relationships end
Not surprisingly, most relationships end in Germany, especially in the first year. According to a study, around 60 percent of couples separate after just a few months. “Many relationships fail in the first year because you just approach the whole thing blindly. You first have this infatuation and then realize that he's completely different and I don't like him. And then you quickly give up“, explains couples therapist Claudia Roberts.
Reading tip: Love over after seven years! Separation between Raúl Richter and Vanessa Schmitt
But what about couples who still like each other even after the initial phase of their relationship? As the psychologist explains, there is a second major separation phase – and it actually affects the seventh year! You can find out which period of time lovers most have to fear in the video above.
What's wrong with the seventh year?
The ElitePartner study 2026 with 3,836 singles and romantic partners also shows: The first three years of a relationship in particular are a test, because around every second love ends during this period. This is the result of the survey “After how many years did your last relationship end?” And yet: “On average, couples separate after 6.1 years – i.e. at the beginning of the ‘darn’ seventh year,” according to the dating platform.
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Study shows: After how many years do most relationships end?
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Up to one year: 20%
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Up to two years: 17%
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Up to three years: 12%
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Between four and five years: 17%
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Between six and seven years: 9%
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Between eight and nine years: 5%
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Between ten and 14 years: 9%
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Between 15 and 19 years: 5%
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20 or more years: 6%
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(ElitePartner study from 2026: 3,836 singles and romantic partners (adult German internet users). Quotations representative of the population and weighted according to age, gender and federal state. Figures in percent)
However, couples who survive the seventh year have a good chance of a “long-term, stable relationship,” ElitePartner continues. So it's worth sticking with it.
Sources used: own RTL research and ElitePartner
