KEEPING ROMANCE ALIVE

How do you keep romance alive? If there's a special person in your life, you know how important good communication is to staying close and keeping the fires of passion burning. Good communication skills are essential, whether you've been together for two months or 32 years.

Psychologists stay that the intoxicating feeling of being in love lasts only about 18 months to three years at most; however, a study conducted by psychologist Bianca Acevedo and biological anthropologist Helen Fisher found that it's possible to keep love alive in a long-term relationship. When the brains of a group of people in their fifties, who had been married an average of 21 years, were scanned after looking at a photo of their partner, they showed the same level of activity as young lovers who had been together for an average of seven months. There was one important difference, however: Among the older lovers, the brain regions associated with anxiety were no longer active; there was more activity in the areas associated with calmness [source: Fisher]

Other studies have proven that a good relationship offers medical benefits of lower stress levels, reduced risk of Alzheimer's, and even improves cancer survival rates.

While there's no arguing the benefits of being in a happy relationship, how can you get -- and stay -- connected? Try these communication tips for romantic relationships and get closer to your loved one.

Spending quality time together- as time goes by, demanding assignments, different hobbies and other obligations can make it hard to find time together with your loved ones. its critical for your relationship. if you don't have quality time together, communication and understanding start to erode.

Find something that you enjoy doing together- whether it is a shared hobby, dance routine, daily walk , sitting over a cup of coffee, if it brings you to close communication range, you should go for it.

Make a habit of laughing together whenever you can-most situations are not as bleak as they appear to be when you approach them with humor.

Learn your partners emotional cues-each of us is a little different how we receive information. some people might respond better to sight,sound or touch. your partners responses may be different from yours . take some time to learn your partners cue, and be sure to communicate your own as well. For example, one person might find a brief massage after a stressful day a loving mode of communication-while another might just want to talk over a hot cup of tea.

Practice give and take- if you expect to get what you want 100% of a time in a relationship, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. healthy relationships are built on compromise, and it takes work on each others part to make sure that there is a reasonable exchange.