If you know how to use Sim PE, you can adjust the interests of your Sims, ie, crime, entertainment, fashion, etc.
One thing: If Sim A has a high interest (a 9 or 10) in some areas, and Sim B has a low interest, they may argue more, particularly if they have a low relationship score. With Sim PE, you can adjust this too.
You can turn off/of thought bubbles too, with the cheat,
Click control, shift, c, then type in:
showHeadlines off
showHeadlines on
If you mistype and get an error message, type in exit to exit out of the space you type in. It won't exit out your game.
To install SimPE, follow their instructions explicitly.
Find it here:
http://sims.ambertation.de/en/download/I found SimPE to be wonderful. Back up your game first, however, as they wisely advise as people do make errors.
There may be other answers to your question, but that's all I can think of for right now.
Good luck, Vita