Does a long-term relationship kill romantic love?

BP Acevedo, A Aron�- Review of General Psychology, 2009 - journals.sagepub.com
BP Acevedo, A Aron
Review of General Psychology, 2009journals.sagepub.com
This article examines the possibility that romantic love (with intensity, engagement, and
sexual interest) can exist in long-term relationships. A review of taxonomies, theory, and
research suggests that romantic love, without the obsession component typical of early
stage romantic love, can and does exist in long-term marriages, and is associated with
marital satisfaction, well-being, and high self-esteem. Supporting the separate roles of
romantic love and obsession in long-term relationships, an analysis of a moderately large�…
This article examines the possibility that romantic love (with intensity, engagement, and sexual interest) can exist in long-term relationships. A review of taxonomies, theory, and research suggests that romantic love, without the obsession component typical of early stage romantic love, can and does exist in long-term marriages, and is associated with marital satisfaction, well-being, and high self-esteem. Supporting the separate roles of romantic love and obsession in long-term relationships, an analysis of a moderately large data set of community couples identified independent latent factors for romantic love and obsession and a subsample of individuals reporting very high levels of romantic love (but not obsession) even after controlling for social desirability. Finally, a meta-analysis of 25 relevant studies found that in long- and short-term relationships, romantic love (without obsession) was strongly associated with relationship satisfaction; but obsession was negatively correlated with it in long-term and positively in short-term relationships.
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