The purpose of the present research was to assess whether romantic love is a temporary state. In Study I 88 subjects (62 women, 26 men) reported length of interest in their beloved, romantic feelings, absence of anxiety, absence of anger, and elation elicited by the thought of the beloved, as well as the frequency with which they thought of the beloved. Length of interest did not correlate with the various emotions but relationship status did. Study II focused on the longer relationships of 50 married couples, correlating length of marriage with the emotions. For women, negative relationships were found between length of marriage, elation, and the absence of anxiety.
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