A psychotherapist has warned that one everyday behavior, something 98 percent of people deal with regularly, may be quietly putting strain on relationships and could even contribute to a breakup over time.
No matter whether a couple has been together for a few months or many years, healthy relationships rely on effort, understanding, and compromise.
Often, it is not the major blowouts that cause the most damage, but the repeated small habits that gradually wear away at a connection.
Psychotherapist Eloise Skinner says one particularly common habit can undermine a relationship because it “shows a lack of respect” and can weaken key foundations such as “trust, respect, intimacy, and shared dialogue”.
That habit is interrupting your partner while they are talking.
Even though it can seem minor in the moment, Skinner suggests it can have a much bigger effect than people realize.
Research from RescueTime found that 98 percent of people say they are interrupted at least a few times every day, whether that happens at home, at work, or elsewhere.
Skinner said:
“It focuses attention on the person interrupting, which can lead to feelings of being disregarded or unheard.
“Interrupting can also imply a level of control, since it switches the leadership in the conversation, and it can be perceived as disrespectful, depending on the dynamic.”
She also pointed out that this pattern can create serious “miscommunication” in a relationship.
“When someone interrupts, they may have made assumptions or interpretations around the message or point of the other person,” she added.
This issue is not limited to romantic partnerships either.
The same report found that workplace interruptions account for 28 billion wasted hours every year, contributing to an estimated loss of almost $1 trillion for the US economy.
Skinner added that interruptions are only one of several everyday behaviors that can create distance between couples.
“A loss of shared dialogue could also be hugely impactful – for example, if you stop wanting to ask your partner about their day, or you feel that your partner no longer actively listens to your own experiences,” she said.
She also warned about another damaging habit linked to modern life: being distracted by technology.
The psychotherapist claimed: “If your partner is always on their phone and disengages when they speak to you, it might damage trust, intimacy and the ability to engage in shared dialogue.”
Relationship researchers have increasingly pointed to this kind of phone-related distraction as a modern source of conflict, with studies linking partner phone use during conversation to lower intimacy, more conflict, and weaker relationship satisfaction over time. Experts often describe the pattern as a form of “technoference,” where digital interruptions spill into face-to-face connection and make people feel ignored, sidelined, or less valued.
That does not mean every interruption is a sign of a doomed relationship. Many are accidental, and some couples are simply more fast-paced or verbally overlapping than others. But when interruptions become a habit, or when one partner regularly talks over the other, dismisses their point, or reaches for a phone mid-conversation, it can slowly erode the sense of being heard that healthy relationships depend on.
Small changes can help. Slowing down, letting a partner finish a thought, putting phones away during important conversations, and checking whether you understood what was said before responding can make day-to-day communication feel more respectful and less combative.