By Katie Anderson
Love is in the air as the world prepares for Valentine’s Day next week! While many of us are thinking about buying chocolates and planning romantic evenings, a group of nearly 100 scientists from around the world have taken a more scientific approach to the romantic holiday. Surveying 9,474 adults across 45 countries, the team of researchers discussed participants’ experiences of love in correlation with country-level factors such as technology access, gender equality, and average temperature. Using the Triangular Love Scale, researchers averaged responses for each country’s sample group and compared how they correlated with different indexes: the Human Development Index, World Modernization Index, Gender Inequality Index, collectivism data, and temperature data. They found participants from countries with higher levels recorded from the indexes experienced higher levels of love with their partners. Collectivism, the theory of prioritizing the group over the self, as well as higher average temperatures were also associated with higher levels of love.
On a scale from 1-9, participants in the United States, Italy, Portugal, and Hungary ranked the highest, with averages close to 8 on the Triangular Love Scale. Countries scoring the lowest, between 6.5 and 7.4, were found to be China, Germany, Turkey, and Pakistan. While impressive in the correlations found, the study also discusses its shortcomings in determining causation and reflects on its small sample size in comparison to population sizes. Regardless, it is obvious that the phenomenon of love is a cross-cultural, global experience. ❤️
To learn more about the love study and all its findings, click here. Happy Valentine’s Day!