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Romantic thoughts are key to keeping love alive

Unmarried couples to get equal rights Rex Features

The love letter may be a dying gesture, but acts of passion are apparently the key to keeping sparks flying.

Taking romantic strolls and thinking passionate thoughts about your loved one means you are less likely to stray because you don't find other suitors as attractive, a new study suggests.

Scientists quizzed a group of students all in long-term relationships to look at photographs of 60 people, ranging from average looking to very attractive.

Beforehand, half the group were told to write an essay about the strong feelings they had for their partner.

The other half of the group were asked to write about an instance when they felt extremely happy.

When shown the photographs, the group who had written about their love for their partner spent less time sifting through the photos and instantly rejected the most attractive people.

Lead psychologist for the study, Dr Jon Maner commented: 'Their attention was repelled, rather than captured, by attractive alternatives to their current partner.

'Romantic love for a current partner, therefore, may inhibit the basic perceptual processing of attractive relationship alternatives.' Dr Maner concluded: 'In this sense, love truly does appear to be blind.'

Wednesday 6 August 2008


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