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A triangular theory of love.
Abstract
This article presents a triangular theory of love. According the theory, has three components: (a) intimacy, which encompasses the feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness one experiences in loving relationships; (b) passion, which encompasses the drives that lead romance, physical attraction, and sexual consummation; and (c) decision/commitment, which encompasses, in the short term, the decision that one loves another, and in the long term, the commitment maintain that love. The amount of one experiences depends on the absolute strength of these three components, and the kind of one experiences depends on their strengths relative each other. The three components interact with each other and with the actions that they produce and that produce them so as form a number of different kinds of loving experiences. The triangular theory of subsumes certain other theories and can account for a number of empirical findings in the research literature, as well as for a number of experiences with which many are familiar firsthand. It is proposed that the triangular theory provides a rather comprehensive basis for understanding many aspects of the that underlies close relationships. What does it mean to love someone? Does it always mean the same thing, and if not, in what ways do loves differ from each other? Why do certain loves seem last, whereas others disappear almost as quickly as they are formed? This article seeks answer these and other questions through a triangular theory of love. This tripartite theory deals both with the nature of and with loves in various kinds of relationships. The presentation of the theory will be divided into three main parts. In the first part, the main tenets of the theory will be explained and discussed, and the theory will be compared with other theories of love. In the second part, the implications of the theory for close relationships and satisfaction in them will be described. In the third part, the theory will be shown account for many of the empirical phenomena that have been observed with regard love.
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“Sternberg (1986Sternberg ( , 1988) ) synthesizes previous attempts and defines love according to three constituent components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.”
From Strengthening Customer Loyalty through Intimacy and Passion: Roles of Customer–Firm Affection and Customer–Staff Relationships in Services (2008) · cites this paper as Sternberg 1986
In the citing paper
“Second, Sternberg's (1986) triangular theory of love and its constituent components apply to exemplary services on the transactional-relational continuum.”
From Strengthening Customer Loyalty through Intimacy and Passion: Roles of Customer–Firm Affection and Customer–Staff Relationships in Services (2008) · cites this paper as Sternberg (1986)
In the citing paper
“These three components are believed to be essential in forming and sustaining romantic relationships (Sternberg, 1986;Hatfield et al., 1988;Sternberg, 1997).”
From I love you, my AI companion! Do you? Perspectives from the Triangular Theory of Love and Attachment Theory (2026) · cites this paper as Sternberg, 1986
In the citing paper
“The Triangular Theory of Love has been widely accepted and adopted, due to its robustness and universality, across relationships of different natures (Sternberg, 1986).”
From I love you, my AI companion! Do you? Perspectives from the Triangular Theory of Love and Attachment Theory (2026) · cites this paper as Sternberg, 1986
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“As passion signifies forces that drive romance, physical attraction, sexual consumption, and other relevant phenomena in love affairs, it also involves motivational and other stimulating forms that cause passion experience (Sternberg, 1986: 119).”
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“Another work that advocates for this differentiation between love and care is recently carried out by Dong et al. (2020), who refer to love based on the triangular theory of love of Sternberg (1986).”
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“In the triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986), the strength of intimacy, passion, and commitment may vary across the stages in a relationship.”
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Love and Intimacy, Psychology of
Kordoutis, P. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.24072-5 · Cited by 6
Marital Strength in Canadian Military Couples: A Grounded Theory Approach
Sherwood, E. (2008) · Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) · doi:10.11575/prism/12259 · Cited by 6
Moeller, J., Eccles, J. S., Salmela‐Aro, K., Dietrich, J., Schneider, B., & Grassinger, R. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.26101-1 · Cited by 6
Couder, J., & Valette‐Florence, P. (2024) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114712 · Cited by 5
Children's evaluations of interracial peer inclusion and exclusion: The role of intimacy
Raz, K. L., Kaufman, E. M., & Killen, M. (2024) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/cdev.14197 · Cited by 5
“Given the lack of previous research on intimacy in in-terracial and same-race peer contexts, we drew on Sternberg's model (1986) which provided the basis for identifying the level of intimacy in a social context.”
InfluentialHow much we express love predicts how much we feel loved in daily life
Williams, L., Kim, S. H., Li, Y., Heshmati, S., Vandekerckhove, J., Roeser, R. W., & Oravecz, Z. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0323326 · Cited by 8
Is Family Size Related To Love? Data from 25 Countries
Żelaźniewicz, A., Kowal, M., Pawłowski, B., & Sorokowski, P. (2025) · Human Nature · doi:10.1007/s12110-025-09505-w · Cited by 7
“These components can function independently or combine in various ways to create different types of love experiences (e.g., infatu - ation, unrequited love), though full-blown romantic love typically involves a mixture of all three elements (Sternberg, 1986).”
InfluentialMeasuring machine companionship experiences: Scale development and validation for AI companions
Banks, J. (2026) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2026.108945 · Cited by 9
Developing Brand's Love to Consumer in Service: A Study of Sedan Maintenance Service Brand in China
Jin, M., & Jia, S. (2009) · International Conference on Management and Service Science (MASS) · doi:10.1109/icmss.2009.5304373 · Cited by 5
“We use Stemberg's triangular theory of love [ 11 ] to form the framework of brand’s love to consumer (BLTC) as most brand love literatures do to form the framework of consumer’s love to brand.”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialThe associations of sexual desire, daily stress, and intimacy in gay men in long-term relationships
Hiemstra, J., van Tuijl, P., & van Lankveld, J. J. D. M. (2023) · International Journal of Impotence Research · doi:10.1038/s41443-023-00664-x · Cited by 5
“Item wordings were based on Sternberg ’ s [47] description of state intimacy: With regard to my partner, I now feel … ‘ Intimacy ’ , ‘ Connectedness ’ , ‘ Love ’ , ‘ Tenderness ’ , ‘ Warmth ’ .”
Male–male relationships in chimpanzees and the evolution of human pair bonds
Sandel, A. A. (2023) · Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News and Reviews · doi:10.1002/evan.21986 · Cited by 5
Doherty, J. K., & Brumbaugh, C. C. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197544754.013.10 · Cited by 5
Examining Triangle Metaphors: Utility in Developmental Theory and Scientific Application
Ferrari, M. (2007) · Human Development · doi:10.1159/000103363 · Cited by 5
“…models have been used to de- Human Development 2007;50:234–240 236 Ferrari pict types of intelligences [Guilford, 1967], the nature of social learning (e.g., Chapman’s [1991] epistemic triangle), models of memory [Neisser, 1967], and the wellknown triangular theory of love [Sternberg, 1986].”
MethodCompreendendo o Amor e suas Expressões em Diferentes Etapas do Desenvolvimento
Hoffmeister, A., Carvalho, L. M., & Marin, A. H. (2019) · Revista Subjetividades · doi:10.5020/23590777.rs.v19i3.e9529 · Cited by 5
Construção e Evidências de Validade da Escala de Qualidade Conjugal
Delatorre, M. Z., & Wagner, A. (2022) · Psico-USF · doi:10.1590/1413-82712022270110 · Cited by 5
Metadata
- Authors
- Sternberg, R. J.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sternberg, Robert J.
- ORCID
- Sternberg, Robert J.
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 1986-04
- Volume
- 93
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 119-135
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- OpenAlex
- W2034890640
- Cited by
- 2,614
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 125 · 2025: 204 · 2024: 153 · 2023: 187 · 2022: 165 · 2021: 149 · 2020: 156 · 2019: 167 · 2018: 136 · 2017: 114 · 2016: 97 · 2015: 99 · 2014: 94 · 2013: 90 · 2012: 85
- FWCI
- 16.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Marriage and Sexual Relationships
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Keywords
- triangular theory of love, intimacy, passion, commitment, close relationships, romantic love, relationship satisfaction, theory of love
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