Do you and your partner have heated arguments about household chores, money, or sex? Then you are not alone. Here are the things that couples argue about the most – and tips on how to resolve the arguments.
Research conducted in 2019 shows that the things couples argue about the most can be divided into six different categories: lack of attention or affection, jealousy or infidelity, chores and responsibilities, sex, control and dominance, and future plans and money.
These categories then include more specific topics. Here are twenty of the topics couples most often argue about:
- Lack of love and affection
- Jealousy
- Lack of communication
- Contact with an ex
- Lack of attention
- Previous relationships
- Lack of appreciation
- One of the parties is possessive
- Whose friends do you hang out with the most?
- Housework
- Who works the most
- Distribution of responsibilities
- One wants sex, the other doesn’t
- How often you have sex
- Who should pay for things
- Parents-in-law
- Who decides in the relationship
- Life goals
- Future plans
- Children
How to solve a fight?
How do you then resolve disputes in the relationship? Relationship and sex therapist Dr. Tammy Nelson advises not to walk away from the fight. She believes that it is better to try to solve the problem rather than let the bad mood hang in the air.
If you still feel like you need a break, tell your partner that you need some time on your own to calm down, but that you want to work on the problem together later.
Another piece of advice is to always stick to the topic being discussed at the time. It is not a good idea to bring up old problems when you are trying to solve a new one.
Sources: Psychology Today, Well and Good