It’s no secret that bad habits can hurt one’s marriage. But U.S. Government National Institute of Child Health and Development made a study of more than 160 relationships in Louisville University to back it up. Their study revealed that if you have nasty habits, your partner can never get used to it. The more times you repeat it, the more irritated your partner becomes.

Most husbands and wives view bad habits as lack of respect and this can result to lack of romance or “Deromanticisation.” And “deromanticisation” can trigger a spouse to cheat. This links bad habits to bad divorce.

Studies showed that women suffer from their husband’s crudeness and violating behavior norms, while men complain about their wife’s inconsideration and intrusiveness.

In order to prevent a nasty habit from breaking your marriage apart, you have to be aware of the things that you are guilty of.

In no particular order, here are some of the bad habits that can grow into monumental issues in your relationship.

Lack of personal hygiene.

Picking your nose.

Passing gas.

Burping.

You use the fork as a back-scratcher.

Not flushing the toilet after using it.

Leaving used clothes/underwear in the bathroom or bedroom.

Leaving wet towel in the bathroom or the bed.

Being like a slob.

Nagging.

Being possessive.

Being bossy.

Getting drunk.

Flirting to the opposite sex incessantly.

Spending way too much money.

Putting your dirty feet on the furniture.

Criticizing your spouse in public.

Embarrassing your spouse in public.

Taking a long time to get to the point of the conversation.

You paused the game he is watching and talk about something not sports related.

SMS YOUR SPOUSE IN ALL CAPS.

Repeating your sentences twice.

Saying, “Are you sure?” every time your spouse answers a question.

Returning the car with only enough gas to get out of the driveway.

Reading his email.

Messing up his office table.

Smoking inside the house or near your non-smoker spouse.

Making humiliating remarks about your spouse.

Borrowing excessively.

Taking forever to leave the house.

Deleting all his recorded shows on his DVR.

Cooking good meals for yourself, while you prepare PB&J for him regularly.

When he does something annoying, you blame his parents.

Being a backseat driver.

You use sex as a tool for manipulation.

Once you realize that you are guilty of the several things mentioned above, know that you are hurting your spouse and your marriage. The obligation to change is all up to you. Think if your bad habits are worth keeping than your marriage.

To help you out, here are some quick tips on how to break bad habits.

Accept that you have bad habits that constantly hurt your spouse.

Believe that you can break bad habits if you want to.

Include your spouse in dealing with your bad habits.

Change one nasty habit at a time.

Tell your spouse that you need support not insensitive criticisms.

Share your goals and expectations concerning your bad habits to your spouse.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Slip- ups happen, but don’t give up.

Practice reward system.

Author's Bio: 

The author of this article, Ruth Purple , is a Relationship and Dating Expert. Conquer Infidelity and Experience a Happier Love Life through her New eBook.