According to Los Angeles-based psychologist Erica Marchand, Ph. D., it is possible to fall in love with the same person again—it's just a different feeling since that sense of newness is no longer there. She also says it's not uncommon since most marriages have periods of growing apart and coming together.
Is it possible to stay in love for the long-haul or fall back in love after falling out of it? You may be surprised that the overwhelming answer for many in the scientific community is YES. Real, lasting love is possible.
It is possible to save a marriage when one spouse falls out of love, but they have to willingly put in the necessary effort to get the spark back. Many marriages end in divorce, but they don't necessarily have to. Remember that falling out of love is a process, just like falling in love.
The passionate months and years of first love don't always stick around. Relationships change and evolve over time and that's perfectly normal. But sometimes couples fall out of love too. We explore the questions, difficulties, and outcomes when this happens.
He is no longer affectionate with you, physically or verbally. He no longer makes sweet or romantic gestures toward you. He doesn't say "I love you" anymore. He still says "I love you," but something about it feels hollow or forced, like he's just going through the motions.
If you're in this position right now and are unsure if you want to continue the relationship, it's important to remember that relationships can go through many different phases. Just because you have lost feelings right now, doesn't mean that you can't ever get them back.
Falling back in love with your spouse takes effort – just as the beginning stages and initial getting-to-know-you time had. But it's completely possible and often awakens a new chapter in your life together – a closer, happier, and healthier relationship.
If you're not sharing what's really on your mind, it might be a sign that you no longer want a deep connection. Similarly, if you've found that the usual fun banter between you is gone, or it's difficult to have engaging conversations, your bond could be getting weaker.
Husbands want more physical affection and touch from their wife — and not just sex. So cuddle up to him while you watch a show, give him a big hug and kiss hello, a back rub or some foreplay. Initiate sex! Make an effort to show some physical affection towards him consistently.
“Normal” is whatever feels fulfilling for you and your partner, and communication plays a key role in making sure both parties feel fulfilled. That said, a 2017 study that appeared in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that the average adult currently enjoys sex 54 times a year, which equates to about once a week.
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.
In short: yes — as long as both people in the relationship want it to. “Space can heal a relationship,” explains Jason Polk, a licensed clinical social worker and couples therapist in Denver, Colorado, “especially if the couple is currently toxic or verbally abusive to each other.”
One sure sign of incompatibility in marriage is when you are constantly finding faults with one another. This is when you cease to see any good in your spouse at all. If everything your spouse does causes irritation or anger in you, your marriage is definitely on the rocks.
Lack of appreciation, being unheard, or being disrespected can cause love to fade in a marriage or a relationship. Love fades away when either of you constantly tries to make the other understand what is hurting them, but for whatever reason, you cannot fix it.
Disaffection is described by Kayser as the gradual loss of an emotional attachment to your partner that leads to caring less about him/her. This disaffection or loss of loving feelings usually follows the lack of requested changes in the way the coupled interacted.
Genuine love is profound—it does not come and go every now and then; it is something that is likely to last over time. This does not mean that love cannot fade away, but even when it does, it leaves some scars, or rather potential feelings that can flourish if and when the environment is conducive.