As a psychologist and sexologist, we've been studying relationships for more than 50 years combined, and we've found that no matter how you slice it, most of them fail because of poor communication.
", psychologist Dr. John Gottman identifies the four most problematic types of communication in relationships, based on his studies of 40,000 couples: Contempt: Expressing a lack of respect for our partners (e.g., name-calling, eye-rolling, ridiculing).
Of these four, Gottman says, the biggest predictor of a failed relationship is contempt.
How contempt destroys relationshipsContempt makes it impossible for partners to feel like they have each other's back.
This often stems from individuals feeling that they are standing up for themselves, which is usually a healthy thing to do.