Although some husbands may quietly disagree, data suggests that women's feelings of love wane more than those of their partners in a long marriage.
The research tracked the emotions of 3,900 adults, ranging from those in two-year engagements or marriages to 20-year relationships.
The volunteers were asked to express their feelings and say who they spent time with every 30 minutes for ten days.
This determined how much love women and men felt for their partner over time.
The results showed a decline in romantic feelings among women, with women who had been married or engaged for more than three years reporting feelings of love 55 percent less often than women in newer relationships.
The results showed a decline in romantic feelings among women: Women who have been married or engaged for more than three years are 55 percent less likely to report feelings of love than those in newer relationships (stock image).
In contrast, the corresponding decline in the frequency of loving feelings among men was 9 percent.
The study found that women in longer relationships spent more time on household chores and cooking, which may help explain the results.
It was found that men who had been married or engaged for longer spent more time relaxing and sleeping or taking naps.
However, the study published in Psychological Science found that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
On average, when couples got back together after about eight hours of separation, there was a steep increase in feelings of love.
Dr. Saurabh Bhargava of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the US, who conducted the study, told The Times: “I think there is an optimistic interpretation of the data – even when romantic passion and romantic love wane, they persist.”