Best ways to keep the spark alive in a long-term relationship according to relationship scientists

The spark that defines early romantic connection is one of the most universally desired and most commonly mourned features of long-term relationships. Its fading is so widely expected that most people treat it as inevitable, a natural consequence of time and familiarity rather than a response to specific and addressable dynamics. The research on sustained […]
Top 5 surprising things that kill desire in long-term relationships and how to fix them

Desire does not disappear from long-term relationships because love fades or because the relationship has run its course. Research on desire in committed partnerships consistently finds that the forces most responsible for its decline are specific, identifiable, and in most cases addressable. The problem is that most couples never learn to identify them, attributing the […]
Before and after getting serious: how commitment physically changes your body and brain

Commitment changes people. That much has always been understood intuitively. What science is now revealing is that it changes them biologically, at the level of hormones, immune function, brain architecture, and cardiovascular health, in ways that are both measurable and significant. The before and after picture of entering a serious committed relationship is not just […]