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Survey Reveals Top Signs a Relationship Is Losing Its Spark — and the Appliances We Struggle to Let Go
A new survey commissioned by SharkNinja identifies the most common warning signs that a relationship is fading, from fewer meaningful conversations to watching TV in separate rooms. The research also draws parallels between holding onto outdated appliances and staying in relationships past their prime, with nearly half of respondents admitting they've kept a microwave longer than a romantic relationship.
By Tertius News AI Desk2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articlesVersion 1Coverage Published
Survey Identifies Warning Signs of a Fading Relationship
A fresh survey has identified some of the most common warning signs that a relationship may be heading for the rocks, according to The Daily Star and Daily Express. The poll found that having fewer meaningful conversations ranks as one of the top indicators that the spark is fading. This was closely followed by choosing to scroll through phones instead of speaking to one another and watching television in separate rooms, as reported by both outlets.
Other warning signs highlighted in the research included no longer doing fun activities together, sleeping in separate beds, and failing to make an effort with date nights, according to the two publications.
The survey also examined why people stay in relationships longer than they should. Among those who admitted to staying in a romantic relationship longer than necessary, more than six in 10 did so because they hoped things would improve, while 33% were afraid of change, as reported by The Daily Star and Daily Express.
The Microwave Connection
The study, commissioned by SharkNinja in partnership with Olivia Attwood, drew parallels between holding onto relationships and holding onto outdated household appliances. Nearly half (47%) of respondents admitted they have kept a microwave for longer than they were in a romantic relationship, and 36% confessed to clinging onto one despite it no longer working properly, according to both outlets.
Olivia Attwood remarked: "The fact that so many people have owned a microwave for longer than a relationship shows just how attached we become to things we're familiar with. As much as I see the value in holding onto things that have served us for long periods of time, it's so important to upgrade certain elements of our lives." This quote appeared in The Daily Star's coverage and was also cited by the Daily Express.
Attwood posted a tongue-in-cheek video on her social media that begins like a sincere break-up conversation before revealing she's actually speaking to her microwave, as reported by The Daily Star.
Why People Hold Onto Old Appliances
Among those hanging onto an old appliance, 59% said it was because it still worked, and 36% had just not got around to replacing it, according to the Daily Express. As a result, many continue to put up with common frustrations such as unevenly cooked meals (16%), slow cooking times (15%), and crispy food losing its crunch (13%), as reported by both outlets.
Carolyn Anderson, from SharkNinja UK, which is marking the launch of its Ninja CRISPi Microwave, said: "There's something very British about putting up with something because it technically still works, even when we know it could be delivering much better results." This quote was carried by both The Daily Star and Daily Express.
The research also found that many people struggle to let go of all sorts of things long past their useful life, including old chargers and cables (52%), clothes that no longer fit (52%), dated receipts and paperwork (46%), and birthday cards and handwritten notes (43%), according to both outlets.
Appliances as a Source of Conflict
The Daily Express reported that appliances can become a surprising source of conflict during break-ups. Among its findings, 13% have argued with an ex-partner about who would keep household items. Televisions (43%), gaming consoles (29%), and microwaves (27%) were among the most disputed possessions. Additionally, 19% admitted they had kept an appliance following a split mainly because they did not want their ex-partner to have it.
These findings, reported exclusively by the Daily Express, highlight how household items can complicate the end of a relationship.
How each outlet told it
A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the signs that a romance is failing and suggests it may be time to move on, framing the topic as a relatable relationship issue. — Lighthearted and promotional
Facts Included:
A fresh survey has discovered the most revealing warning signs that a romance might be heading for the rocks.
According to the poll, having fewer meaningful chats ranks as one of the top signs that the spark in your relationship is fading.
This was closely followed by choosing to scroll through your phones instead of speaking to one another and watching telly in separate rooms.
Other warning signs that your relationship could be approaching its end included no longer doing fun activities together, sleeping in separate beds, and failing to make an effort with romantic evenings out.
More than six in 10 of those who confessed to staying in a romantic relationships longer than they should have in a romantic partnership longer than they should have did so because they hoped things would get better - but 33% were frightened of change.
The study was commissioned by SharkNinja, which teamed up with Olivia Attwood who shared a cheeky video on her social media that starts like a sincere break up chat – before revealing she's actually speaking to her microwave.
Nearly half (47%) of respondents admit they have kept a microwave for longer than they were in a romantic relationship, and 36% confessed to clinging onto it despite it no longer working properly - echoing similar reasons for staying in a relationship.
The research showed 36% hadn't got round to swapping their microwave yet, but as a result people continuing to put up with common frustrations, such as unevenly cooked meals (16%), slow cooking times (15%),and crispy food losing its crunch (13%).
It also emerged many struggle to let go of all sorts of things long past their useful life, such as old chargers and cables (52%), along with clothes that no longer fit (52%), dated receipts and paperwork (46%),and birthday cards and handwritten notes (43%).
Carolyn Anderson, from SharkNinja UK, which is marking the launch of its Ninja CRISPi Microwave, said:"There's something very British about putting up with something because it technically still works, even when we know it could be delivering much better results."
Framing: The headline emphasizes identifying signs that a relationship is losing its spark and suggests it's time to let go, focusing on relationship deterioration. — Promotional and lighthearted, blending relationship advice with product advertisement.
Facts Included:
Olivia Attwood ditches her microwave for Ninja CRISPi
According to a recent poll, having fewer meaningful conversations is one of the top indicators your relationship is fading
This was followed by preferring to scroll through phones rather than talk to one another and retreating to separate rooms to watch TV
Other key warnings included no longer doing fun activities together, sleeping separately, and not making an effort with date nights
Among those who admitted to staying in a romantic relationship longer than necessary, 63% did so because they hoped things would improve, while 33% were afraid of change
Nearly (47%) have owned a microwave for longer than they were in a romantic relationship and, 36% admitted to holding onto one even though it was no longer performing well
The research was commissioned by SharkNinja, which partnered with Olivia Attwood who posted a tongue-in-cheek film on her socials
Olivia Attwood said: "The fact that so many people have owned a microwave for longer than a relationship shows just how attached we become to things we're familiar with."
The study found microwave owners expressed similar reasons for staying put as they do in relationships
Among those hanging onto an old appliance, 59% said it was because it still worked and 36% had just not got around to replacing it
But this leads to many people continuing to put up with common frustrations, such as unevenly cooked meals (16%), slow cooking times (15%), and crispy food losing its crunch (13%)
It also emerged many struggle to let go of all sorts of things long past their useful life, such as old chargers and cables (52%)
Along with clothes that no longer fit (52%), dated receipts and paperwork (46%), and birthday cards and handwritten notes (43%)
Appliances can also become a surprising source of conflict during break-ups, as 13% have argued with an ex-partner about who would keep household items
Televisions (43%), gaming consoles (29%), and microwaves (27%) were among the most disputed possessions
Meanwhile, 19% admitted they had kept an appliance following a split mainly because they did not want their ex-partner to have it
Carolyn Anderson, from SharkNinja UK, which is marking the launch of its Ninja CRISPi Microwave, said: "There's something very British about putting up with something because it technically still works, even when we know it could be delivering much better results."
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimOlivia Attwood ditches her microwave for Ninja CRISPi.
ClaimThe poll found that preferring to scroll through phones rather than talk to one another and retreating to separate rooms to watch TV were other top warning signs of a fading relationship.
ClaimOther key warnings of a fading relationship included no longer doing fun activities together, sleeping separately, and not making an effort with date nights.
ClaimOlivia Attwood remarked: "The fact that so many people have owned a microwave for longer than a relationship shows just how attached we become to things we're familiar with."
ClaimIt also emerged many struggle to let go of all sorts of things long past their useful life, such as old chargers and cables (52%), along with clothes that no longer fit (52%), dated receipts and paperwork (46%),and birthday cards and handwritten notes (43%).
ClaimCarolyn Anderson, from SharkNinja UK, which is marking the launch of its Ninja CRISPi Microwave, said: "There's something very British about putting up with something because it technically still works, even when we know it could be delivering much better results."
ClaimOther warning signs that your relationship could be approaching its end included no longer doing fun activities together, sleeping in separate beds, and failing to make an effort with romantic evenings out.
ClaimMore than six in 10 of those who confessed to staying in a romantic relationships longer than they should have in a romantic partnership longer than they should have did so because they hoped things would get better.
ClaimOlivia Attwood shared a cheeky video on her social media that starts like a sincere break up chat – before revealing she's actually speaking to her microwave.
ClaimAs a result people continuing to put up with common frustrations, such as unevenly cooked meals (16%), slow cooking times (15%), and crispy food losing its crunch (13%).