The sunset clause: is this the secret to a happy, healthy relationship?

The sunset stipulation — often set at about six months — asks partners to agree a date to discuss whether they both still want to be together. It isn’t about death, just the possible end of a relationship, and it encourages facing that prospect with dignified magnanimity.

The idea is designed to prevent drifting directionlessly through your 20s into half-hearted, loosely defined semi-relationships. If you check in after a few months to make sure you want the same things, the directionlessness is removed: full transparency, full forward momentum.

Some fear it will trap a partner in a loveless future. If you recognise that reaction in yourself — "Yes! That’s literally every relationship I’ve ever been in!" — then a sunset stipulation can be especially useful. Think of it as inbuilt obsolescence for a relationship.

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