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Almost half the number of marriages end in divorce. This does tend to put a damper on the whole “till death do us part” narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n However, it is not necessarily the institution that is at fault. Often, people blindly run towards said institutions either too early or dragging their unwilling partners with them. Sadly, couples are left wondering why they are in a passionless relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, <\/span>as the honeymoon period ends and responsibilities start to take their toll, there comes the point when passion is a distant memory.<\/b><\/p>\n The lack of passion is almost a numbness that doesn’t necessarily mean an absence of love<\/b>. It actually best be explained as if the person is sitting on a couch watching a homemade movie rather than being a part of it. <\/span><\/p>\n The “passionless relationship” meaning is best understood when contrasting it with what passion in a relationship looks like. The<\/span> American Psychological Association (APA) dictionary of psychology calls passion<\/span><\/a> an “intense, driving or overwhelming feeling or conviction.” <\/span><\/p>\n Passion is also characterized by sexual desire and enthusiasm for a particular activity. So, <\/span>a passionless relationship lacks desire, enthusiasm, and even devotion<\/b>, according to the APA. Having no sex is the obvious first symptom, but a lack of passion runs much deeper. <\/span><\/p>\n In short, <\/span>one loses the will to be a part of their family’s life anymore. <\/b>The interest, curiosity, and drive are all gone, and a passionless relationship becomes a reality. <\/span><\/p>\n A passionless relationship is like the elephant in the room. It is difficult to hide and even more difficult to ignore. Whether a long-term relationship or a marriage without passion, it also directly influences the people around you.<\/span><\/p>\n And what is passion in a relationship? It’s that overwhelming desire for each other and the drive to make an effort for the relationship. <\/b><\/p>\n Can a passionless relationship survive? It depends on how aligned you are<\/b>. If you’re both looking for companionship, for whatever reason, then yes, you don’t need passion. <\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, if you have mismatched expectations of what passion looks like in your relationship, you’ll just drive a wedge between you two. <\/span><\/p>\n A passionate relationship starts by realigning your energy<\/b>. After all, passion is energy. Start by observing how you relate to each other and how much power struggle you have between you. <\/span><\/p>\n Then, talk about it. Be curious about how you both feel and where you want to get to. <\/span>The aim is to combine emotions, values, and goals to rediscover what brought you together in the first place. <\/b><\/p>\n Carrying on from the above passionless relationship definition, it isn’t just about no sex, although clearly, that has to be included. As you review this list, remember that <\/span>passionlessness refers to an overall lack of desire or enthusiasm that could show up in any area of life. <\/b><\/p>\n The “passionless relationship” usually starts with a lack of sex or, perhaps worse, passionless sex. This isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault and can come from health issues.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, <\/span>cancer, heart disease, and other conditions can reduce libido or even make sex painful. <\/b>The impact on the emotions and sense of self can generate depression which overflows into the whole relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n This <\/span>medical review on the causes of low libido<\/span><\/a> goes into further detail as to why you might suffer from <\/span>no sex<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n A passionless relationship often comes with a <\/span>lack of empathy<\/span><\/a> and compassion. If you’ve lost interest in your relationship, you’re probably struggling to empathize with your partner. <\/span><\/p>\n You might even resent them for making you feel like this. <\/span>As your resentment grows, the chances are your communication as a couple worsens, and your spiral even deeper into apathy. <\/b><\/p>\n We all crave that Hollywood <\/span>passionate love<\/span><\/a> even though it isn’t realistic in the long run. That’s because relationships need more than just passion. <\/span>They are founded on friendship, trust, and mutual growth as you battle life’s problems together. Nevertheless, you still need intimacy and attraction. <\/b><\/p>\n Even if your mind hasn’t accepted it, a passionless relationship will be obvious in your body language and how you relate to each other when you’re in the same room. Your bodies will naturally lean away from each other. <\/span><\/p>\n Marriage without passion<\/span><\/a> is like a tropical island without coconuts. Of course, you can decide to be like friends living under the same roof, perhaps for the kids’ sake. <\/span><\/p>\n LPC Christiana Njoku<\/a> says,<\/span><\/p>\n When the passion you once had about the relationship is no more, it becomes easier for you both to ignore your feelings.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Regardless, you’ll naturally want to ignore each other if you’re simply not into it anymore. <\/span>One of you might even start having affairs as the distance between you grows. <\/b><\/p>\n A passionless relationship isn’t destined to last. Most of us get into relationships where we expect to receive nurture and support. As you lose interest in each other, those naturally disappear. <\/span><\/p>\n It’s almost too gradual to notice at times. T<\/span>hings become too mundane, and you realize you’re stuck on groundhog day. There’s nothing to spark your curiosity or desire for effort and change. <\/b><\/p>\n If you want <\/span>sex with passion<\/span><\/a>, you can’t forget to spice things up at times. <\/span>We all get bored with repetition after a while. <\/b><\/p>\n This applies to other areas of your relationship. So, if you can’t enjoy activities together and lose yourself as you learn something new, for example, it will rub off on your sex life. <\/span><\/p>\n A passionless relationship overtakes you and infiltrates every aspect of your couple, just like an oil spill on a beach. <\/span><\/p>\n You can easily lose passion in a relationship when life takes over. It’s perfectly normal to get caught up with the kids and the pets or even get lost in life’s transitions. So, <\/span>you no longer surprise each other with little gifts or even say thank you. <\/b><\/p>\n Sometimes a mid-life crisis or redundancy can take its toll such that you lose your passion. Relationships are fulfilling, but they take work, and <\/span>if you’re worried about other things, you might not have the energy.<\/b><\/p>\n A passionless relationship is often obvious because your secret language has gone. You no longer have your little in-jokes, and you definitely won’t be finishing each other’s sentences. <\/span><\/p>\n Although interestingly, as a psychology lecturer describes in his <\/span>article on how humor changes relationships<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> it depends on who uses humor and how they do it.<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n His studies show that when men use humor, it’s more likely to lead to divorce, but when women use it, it can be beneficial. It seems that men can hide behind humor to avoid facing problems. <\/span><\/p>\n So, whatever you do, <\/span>use empathy before you throw in humor to get your timing right.<\/b><\/p>\n And watch this entertaining TED talk by Humor Engineer Andrew Tarvin about learning the skill of humor:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>What does a relationship without passion look like? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Do you really need passion in your relationship? <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>15 Features of relationships without passion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
1. No sex<\/b><\/h3>\n
2. No compassion <\/b><\/h3>\n
3. Body language is off<\/b><\/h3>\n
4. You ignore each other <\/b><\/h3>\n
5. Too comfortable<\/b><\/h3>\n
6. Too predictable <\/b><\/h3>\n
7. No more small gestures <\/b><\/h3>\n
Related Reading: <\/i><\/b>10 Romantic Gestures for Her to Show Your Love<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/pre>\n
8. Humor has disappeared <\/b><\/h3>\n