Exact Answer: Up to 100 years
Love is a mutual feeling of affection and care shared between two individuals. A single person can love an uncountable number of people throughout its lifespan. Love can last a lifetime, however, it can also last only for a couple of days after which people move on to different partners based on compatibility.
Love comes in different forms. A normal person has feelings of love for their friends and family, as well as for someone they are sexually attracted to. Maternal or paternal love lasts forever, and people find it hard to move on from family deaths or any family-related issue.
On the other hand, romantic relationships are fickled in nature, and they can last for anything from a day to a person’s lifetime. Such relationships demand a lot of work to last for a very long time. As one passes through the initial euphoric stage, the magic of love seems to disappear. However, many couples have made it together to the end of their life through constant care and mutual feelings of respect and compromise.
How Long Will I Love You?
Love is specific, and it varies from person to person. It can last for a day or even up to a hundred years till one is alive. The initial euphoric stage lasts for 6 months to 2 years. However, some people claim to have felt the same euphoric love for their partner even after 15 or 20 years of their relationship.
In the next stage, called the early attachment phase, the couple tends to describe their relationship differently. In this stage, partners get emotionally attached and create good and bad memories together that shapes their relationship. This phase begins after a year of being in a relationship and is commonly experienced by newlywed couples after a year or two of their marriage.
In the third stage, or also known as the crisis stage, couples tend to drift away because of their differences. This stage begins after 5 years of a romantic relationship. The couples in this stage have grown individually because of which individualistic traits may cause separation and hamper the relationship. However, the couples who stick together even after this stage may last together for a long time.
The final stage, called the deep attachment stage, is a comfortable phase for couples as they have already figured out ways to handle arguments and address their differences. Couples make future planning during this stage as they develop a mutual sense of security. The couples who make it to this phase may last together for a lifetime.
In summary:
| Stage | Time |
| Initial Euphoric stage | 6 months – 2 years |
| Early Attachment stage | 1 year – 5 years |
| Crisis stage | 5 years – 7 years |
| Deep Attachment stage | 7 years – 100 years |
Why Will I Love You For So Long?
Love has an impact on our brain functions. Every stage of a relationship displays different brain functionality. In the early stage, when everything appears gloomy and romantic, the human brain exhibits a decreased rate of activity of the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain controls our negative judgments toward other people, and therefore, eliminates any negative judgments towards our partner for the higher rate of relationship success.
In the second stage, partners begin to depend on each other to meet their emotional needs. It creates a sense of attachment that helps create more memories and lays down the foundation of your relationship. Different hormones such as Dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin activate the reward system in the human body and cause extreme feelings of pleasure.
In the drift apart phase, couples confront their relationship problems and tend to separate if their needs are not being met. The human brain at this point has grown in the relationship and is matured enough to deal with real problems. Couples who survive the crisis stage last for a long time, which may even be a lifetime for partners who are committed. The final stage is a stable stage that provides couples the opportunity to plan their futures accordingly and make arrangements for a happy future.
Conclusion
Love is a wonderful feeling, that gives people a purpose to live and die. It takes a lot of effort to make a relationship work and last for a lifetime. Relationships demand a constant spark, which can be found through doing new and exciting things together with the partner.
Depending on factors such as compatibility and level of attraction, couples may last for a few days to an entire human lifespan. Although humans don’t mate for life like penguins, there have been success stories about partners who have managed to spend their whole lives with the same person.
References
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1971-02302-00
- https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/71/1/176.html?uid=2003-01069-022
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