6. Ineffective Conflict Management

Another sign that your marriage is heading for the dumps is if you or your partner shuts down when a problem arises, instead of talking about it and resolving it.

A study that was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in 2013 surveyed over 350 newlyweds living in Michigan. It reported that couples where the husband displayed “withdrawal” behaviors were more likely to end in divorce.

Another study conducted the following year was published in the Journal Communication Monographs, and it reported that couples who showed “demand/withdrawal” (one person pushing the other and receiving silence in return) had unhappy marriages.

The lead researcher of the study, Paul Schrodt of the Texas Christian University, says the pattern keeps repeating itself and is hard to break because both spouses are convinced that they are right. He says that its important for both parties to look at their own behavior and how it might be contributing to the issue, so that they can come up with better conflict resolution together.