While some husbands may quietly disagree, women’s loving feelings fade more than those of their partners in a long marriage, data shows.
Research tracked the emotions of 3,900 adults, ranging from those in two-year engagements or marriages to twenty-year partnerships.
Volunteers were asked to report their feelings and who they spent time with every 30 minutes for ten days.
This identified the amount of love women and men felt for their partner over time.
The results showed declining romantic feelings among women, with women who had been married or engaged for more than three years reporting feelings of love 55 percent less often than women in newer relationships.
The results showed declining romantic feelings among women, with women married or engaged for more than three years
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the US conducted the research
In contrast, the corresponding decline in the frequency of loving feelings among men was 9 percent.
The study found that women in longer partnerships spent more time on chores and cooking, which could help explain the results.
Men who were married or engaged longer were found to spend more time relaxing, sleeping or napping.
But the study, published in Psychological Science, shows that absence actually makes the heart grow fonder.
When couples were reunited after being separated for about eight hours, there was a steep average increase in feelings of love.
Dr. Saurabh Bhargava, from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the US, who conducted the research, told The Times: ‘I think there is an optimistic interpretation of the data – even if romantic passion and romantic love are on the decline, they remain .’