Though it is widely held that romance and sex must ultimately yield to friendly companionship over time, new research found that’s not the case. Instead about 13 percent of people reported high levels of romance in their long-term relationships, in a new study published in the March issue of the journal Review of General Psychology…

So far, research indicates that it often has to do with pure hard work.

“These people are often very relationship focused,” Acevedo said. “Their relationship is something that is very central to their lives, something they spend time on, work on, really care about. They seem to resolve conflicts relatively efficiently and smoothly.”