Scientists say a woman’s love fades faster in a long marriage.
Research tracked the emotions of 3,900 adults, ranging from people who had been in a two-year engagement or marriage to people in 20-year partnerships. The volunteers reported their feelings every half-an-hour for 10 days, saying who they were spending time with.
It found the amount of love men and women fell out of with their partner. It found declining romantic feelings among women, with those engaged or married for over three years reporting feelings of love 55% less frequently than those in the newer relationships.
Men reported feelings of love 9% less than they did in newer relationships. The study found women in longer partnerships spent more time doing chores and cooking, which could help to explain the results.
Men who were married or engaged for longer were found to spend more time relaxing, sleeping or napping. However, the study published in Psychological Science, found that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
When couples were reunited after being apart for eight hours, there was a steep average increase in the feeling of love.
Dr Saurabh Bhargava, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the US, which conducted the study, told The Times: “I think there is an optimistic interpretation of the data – even though romantic passion and romantic love decline, they do persist.”
