Teasing
If you observe couples who tease, there is always a subtext underlying the teasing. Couples with happy marriages, tease as a way to compliment their spouse publically. So for example, let's say Bob and Betty are happily married. Betty might say at a party, "Bob can't stop fixing things. If the neighbors would let him through the front door, he'd remodel their kitchen just for fun!" The subtext is that Bob is a manly guy who can repair just about anything. That kind of teasing is very positive for a marriage.
However, in unhappy marriages, spouses tease as a way to hurt each other. The teasing will be about a spouse's negative quality. So if Betty and Bob are unhappily married, she might say, "Bob tried to repair the kitchen sink last weekend. He was so good at it that we had to pay a plumber $500 to fix Bob's repairs." The subtext here is that Bob doesn't know his ass from his elbow when it comes to fixing things. That kind of teasing, in the guise of lighthearted joking, is the coward's way to insult their spouse. Typically the offended spouse will say, "That hurt me," and the cowardly spouse will fire back, "Oh don't be so sensitive. Can't you take a joke?" And the offended spouse is left helpless to stop the behavior.
Marriage Saver: Don't tease your spouse, unless the subtext is a compliment.