An expert has claimed that being "boring" with your partner is the key to a long term relationship.

Now, I have to agree. While fancy dates are all well and good during the honeymoon period, at the end of the day, you want to spend your time with someone who you can sit in comfortable silence with, someone who appreciates a quiet coffee date and Netflix, even without the chill.

This is backed up by an expert too. Namely, Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F***. He said that if a relationship is going to stand the test of time then it needs to be "as boring as possible".

He told Business Insider: "That sounds really weird to people but if you think about it, a really happy 80-year-old couple that's been together for 60 years, the reason that they've been together for 60 years, it isn't because they took all these private jets and they had their crazy vacations and 'Oh my God, look at their pictures'.

"It's because they were able to be boring together. They are able to spend year after year, sitting around the house, talking about the same boring stuff, watching TV, watching movies, cooking dinner, and it went fine.

"There was nothing exciting, there's nothing blowing up, there's no huge drama and dishes flying."

The relationship expert explained that while social media with its endless pictures of exciting and fun things to do might discourage us from being boring, we shouldn't let it, as people who are outwardly exciting and interesting, more often than not, are a '"really horrible person to be with romantically".

Because of this Manson said we need to make it socially acceptable for it to be boring again, which may be no bad thing if our love lives thrive as a result.

1. Good point 

2. Whoever said "sharing is caring" is so wrong 

3. It's easy to get complacent in a long-term relationship

4. You can be so sloppy when single

5. You can't deny that the chase is exciting  

6. It's nice to feel desired

7. This is certainly a recurring theme... 

8. You can't ever get the honeymoon period back

9. You'd think that you'd get more action in a relationship, no? 

10. This person should have a chat with their partner... 

11. Your social life can take a hit when you're in a relationship 

12. I think we can all agree on this

If only there was a way to know from the beginning whether our relationship with someone would last forever or not. Imagine how much time we'd save - how much heartbreak we'd save. Unfortunately, no such thing exists, meaning many of us are doomed to date terrible people for a significant portion of our adult lives.

However, there are some aspects of a relationship that can be used as a fairly reliable predictor of the success of a relationship.

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology tracked 168 couples for a whopping 13 years in order to investigate which signals (if any) are indicative of divorce, and which predict a long-lasting marriage. And, over the course of their research, the authors of the study discovered that there was one quite reliable sign that a couple would eventually end up parting ways - but it's probably not what you think.

Far from being at each other's throats or constantly disagreeing over matters, the couples most likely to separate were actually more affectionate than those who stuck it out for a longer period.

"As newlyweds, the couples who divorced after seven or more years were almost giddily affectionate, displaying about one-third more affection than did spouses who were later happily married," the authors explained.

But how is this even possible?

In an interview with The Independent, dating and relationship psychologist Madeleine Mason Roantree said that, "if you think about it, it makes sense." She continued:

“Some people get caught up in the infatuation of a relationship, hence the term ‘love is blind,’ and it is known that infatuation is not a long-lasting state. Once that disappears, one has to look at what is left between the two people, and if there is no bond other than passion, then the relationship is likely to fall apart.

"There is also the danger of falling in love with an aspect of someone, knowing that it’s not long-lasting or sustainable but hoping that things will change. For example, a couple gets together in a partying environment, but when kids come along, one person does not intend to give up the party lifestyle."

Basically: the kind of attraction that is more intense than average is often an indicator of infatuation, rather than a deep, lasting connection that will still be present after the honeymoon period has subsided.

"Over-the-top emotions (and their physical expression) are hard to sustain. This type of behaviour is most commonly found in the honeymoon period, which is a short-lived phase from three to nine months," concurred Susan Winter, a relationship expert.

"Life and life’s challenges can get real very quickly," she explained. "That’s when you’ll see each partner’s true personality emerge. The person you thought you married has vanished and discontentment occurs."

This doesn't mean that you should hold back from showing affection, nor should you necessarily be wary if your partner shows a great deal of affection either. And, indeed, there are several other indicators that suggest a relationship won't work out, too - namely a lack of effort and appreciation for one another.

All it means is that relationships founded on infatuation rather than a deep, romantic connection are less likely to hold up in the long run. Unfortunately, that's not very easy to see when you're in the early stages of getting to know someone - so we're just as stuck as we always have been.

"Everybody has to keep looking until they have that exact experience, and many will be misled by it, especially if sexual attraction is involved. You can feel like something is real and your partner is The One, and then all the other details come out, and things change."

1. There's nothing like a late night realisation

2. Two very different things

3. I think it's better to rip off the Band-Aid than prolong things

4. Sometimes, drugs offer a different perspective

5. Distance can kill many a relationship

6. Sometimes, cheating can be a good way to gain some clarity

7. Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder

8. When you don't care any more, that's a huge warning sign

9. Nothing like a good bit of closure

10. Love comes in many different forms

11. Rebounds can be intense, but they usually never last

12. It can happen

13. There's no greater distance than between two people falling out of love

14. Sometimes, after so long the spark just goes out 

15. Lots of emotions at play here

16. An emotional rollercoaster

17. The best way to identify fake love is to compare it to the real thing

18. The added proximity can be a killer for many romantic relationship

19. Perhaps a confession here is necessary

20. This is sad, but tragically true