But is a blind spot the same as a red flag? It depends on how you look at it.

According to Mandy Mee, founder and dating expert at The MME Agency, they’re more like yellow flags. “They only become red flags when they’re extreme and you’re not willing to change even when you see it causes more harm than good to your relationship,” she tells Stylist. However, it’s important to be as analytical about your own behaviour as you are the other person’s.

“Be aware of the part you played in all the relationships that ended in a break up. It takes two to tango,” she warns. “Identify the most common traits that may have affected these relationships by remembering all the issues you or your partner have complained about most. It could be selfishness, not listening, not understanding them or disrespect. If these traits seem recurring from one partner to the other, it’s a pattern that needs to be addressed.”

“Blind spots are always about behaviour,” agrees Buckley. “There is always a reason for a behaviour. People are born as a blank slate and behaviours are learned from our experiences; they don’t happen for no reason.” However, blind spots are such because it’s safer to be oblivious to some of our own behaviours.

“People can change their behaviour if they’re aware of it and open to working on it. In dating, if you’re dating someone who is oblivious and thinks that everyone else is the issue, then for me, that’s a concern. If you have someone who is open to working on themselves – after all, nobody is perfect and everyone has work to do – then this for me is a green flag. You want to be with someone who is open to growing and developing.”

Relationship blind spots: how to tell if yours has one and what to do about it