It usually lasts from six months to two years and can be marked with lots of laughs, intimacy, and fun dates. Of course, the honeymoon phase is exactly that: a phase. Eventually, it ends, leaving both partners needing to adjust to a new, more sustainable reality.
Is it normal to lose the spark in your relationship? Yes, it's common for long-term couples to start wondering how to keep a relationship alive. It isn't the loss of the spark in a relationship that is the problem – the problem arises when couples lack the commitment to rekindle the romance.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter. Forget the seven-year itch – the spark actually begins to fade exactly five years and two months into a relationship, a study has found.
How long does the romantic phase last? Studies have estimated the euphoric stage can last anywhere from six months to two years. Although a small portion of the population (approximately 15% to 30%) say they are still in love and that it still feels like the first six months—even after 10 or 15 years later.
What does it mean when the spark is gone? Sometimes a couple can lose its spark as a relationship. This could be due to several reasons: a dissipated sex life, you're no longer talking, you're not spending enough time together, and you don't make an effort to go out with friends or do anything fun anymore.
According to relationship therapist Aimee Hartstein, LCSW, as it turns out, the first year really is the hardest—even if you've already lived together. In fact, it often doesn't matter if you've been together for multiple years, the start of married life is still tricky.
Using Power and Control. This is by far the most destructive force any human can bring to a marital relationship, and obviously includes the use of physical and sexual abuse or violence.
True Love Feels Like Acceptance
They enjoy seeing you as much as you enjoy seeing them. True love feels like looking at the other, and knowing that they are really looking back at you, not a projection of the person they think you should be.
You don't feel the same passion in your relationship anymore. It doesn't excite you, and you don't feel wild like you used to. The magic is gone. Simply put, there is no spark left in your relationship.
Self-Esteem Issues
Where physical intimacy is lacking, this can cause self-esteem problems. If your partner shows no interest in you physically, you might feel like they're not attracted to you anymore, and this can cause you to question yourself.
Common Signs You May Be Feeling Unhappy In Your Relationship
You look for excuses not to see your partner. You feel the urge to be with someone else. You think you would be more comfortable living a different life. You are not attracted to your partner anymore.
Long distances, contradicting schedules, or growing resentment are all common reasons couples lose their spark—otherwise known as chemistry or a particularly strong connection.
You're no longer feeling the spark.
"If you've slowly turned into 'just friends,' or roommates, and the sexual chemistry is long gone and you know it isn't coming back, it's time to break up," Bennett told us.
Passionate Love Fades, But Companionate Love Endures
Lieberman says. "Companionate love, the kind of love that established couples feel, generally grows with time. But some people think that once the dopaminergic thrill of passionate love is gone, the relationship is over. It doesn't have to be."
The strength of the spark is revealed in the color. A red or yellow spark is weak and probably will not spark in the cylinder. A blue or white spark is strong and has enough voltage to fight across the spark plug gap even under pressure within the cylinder.
A good spark will be blue-white and will be plainly visible in daylight. If a good spark is present, the problem is probably not in the ignition system. Check the fuel system and/or stark timing. Weak sparks are orange or red and may be hard to see in daylight.
There's No Emotional Connection
One of the key signs your relationship is ending is that you are no longer vulnerable and open with your partner. A cornerstone of happy, healthy relationships is that both partners feel comfortable being truly open to sharing thoughts and opinions with one another.
Physical attraction, sexual compatibility, empathy, and emotional connection are key to making a man fall in love with a woman.
Men Need Love and Affection
In plain language: Men often feel most loved by the women in their lives when their partners hug them, kiss them, smile at them, and explicitly offer gratitude, praise, and words of affection. Men also feel loved and connected through sexuality, often to a greater degree than women do.
If your boyfriend loves you, he will treat you with respect. That means that he listens to you and cares about what's going on in your life. He notices the little things that you like and goes out of his way to give them to you. He values you as a person, and he genuinely listens to your opinions.
While there are countless divorce studies with conflicting statistics, the data points to two periods during a marriage when divorces are most common: years 1 – 2 and years 5 – 8. Of those two high-risk periods, there are two years in particular that stand out as the most common years for divorce — years 7 and 8.
The biggest thing couples do to kill intimacy in marriage is failing to schedule time for it. Sometimes couples don't recognize the need to build space for intimate moments in their lives. There seems to be an expectation that romance and desire should happen naturally.
It is no surprise, then, that marital infidelity is a leading cause of divorce.