Researchers have identified that most people in romantic relationships can be classified into one of four categories, which might be unexpected.
A study led by experts at The Australian National University involved over 800 young couples, examining four main characteristics: mechanistic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral expressions of romantic love.
In this study, romantic love was defined as “a motivational state typically associated with a desire for long-term mating with a particular individual.”
The researchers utilized data from the Romantic Love Survey 2022, analyzing factors such as love intensity, obsessive thinking, commitment, and sexual frequency.
“These variables were chosen because of their convenience and because these variables represent important or commonly investigated romantic love-related features,” the study notes.
The study ultimately revealed four distinct types of lovers…
One category consists of individuals who engage in sexual activity around twice a week. This group constitutes about 20 percent of the population and is more likely to be male.
Mild romantic lovers reportedly fall in love more easily but for shorter durations, according to Mail Online.
Representing 41 percent of the population, these individuals are the least likely to use antidepressants. However, there’s not as significant a difference in sexual activity between mild and moderate lovers as one might expect.
The study suggests that those in this category typically have sex 2.5 times a week on average.
Intense romantic lovers, who account for 29 percent of the population, engage in sexual activity approximately three times a week.
This category is more likely to include females and is associated with the highest levels of relationship satisfaction.
The least common group, comprising just 10 percent of the population, tends to sustain long-term love.
Regarding mental health, the study found that libidinous romantic lovers have a lower likelihood of experiencing anxiety or depression.
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Couples in this group reportedly engage in sexual activity approximately 10 times a week.
Adam Bode, the study’s lead researcher, stated: “While there is evidence of variation in the psychological expression of romantic love, to our knowledge, no one has attempted to directly empirically investigate this phenomenon.”
“Understanding variation in romantic love as an interaction between genes and the environment can shed light on one necessary component of traits subject to evolution.”