Those who have studied psychology will recognise these “four horsemen” as being the same as those coined by John Gottman, a professor who specialises in marital stability.

As he explains in his book The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, Gottman says that he has followed couples across decades in many psychological studies to see what kinds of behaviours predict whether they will stay together, or split. So, without any further ado, here is what you need to know about the “four horsemen.”

1. Criticism

Everyone complains; it’s a natural part of our day-to-day life. And complaining about someone is, of course, absolutely fine; it would take a very strong person to resist commenting on the fact that their partner is “always late”. However criticism is very different; it’s corrosive, and it’s an attack on your partner’s core personality. For example: “You’re late because you don’t care about me.”

It specifically frames the complaints in the context of a defect in your partner, strikes at their heart, and signals the end of your relationship is set to come sooner rather than later.

2. Contempt

Relationship in crisis? Watch out for the 4 horsemen of doomed romances