Making love last has long been a topic of interest for everyone from casual daters to married couples and marriage psychologists. We know that over time couples can lose that initial spark that drew them together in the first place. Even the person that you couldn’t keep your hands off of in the beginning becomes less enticing over time.

“Losing the passionate spark” boils down to science. There’s a physiological response to a new relationship that makes you feel quite literally on Cloud 9. It has to do with a hormone found in your brain called oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. In a 2012 study, researchers found that oxytocin spikes for at least six months of a new relationship. After that time, you’ll probably start to notice the honeymoon phase come to an end and your once-heightened feelings of attraction for your significant other will be replaced with a more ordinary, even-keel feeling. But this new relationship reality shouldn’t put you into panic mode. Instead, you should focus on ways to continue to strengthen your bond and grow your relationship.