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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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“Famous psychologist Sternberg (1986) proposed a triangular theory of love with three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.”
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“Por su parte, Sternberg (1986) encontró que su modelo del amor de tres componentes (intimidad – pasión – compromiso), se asociaba positivamente con el tipo de apego seguro y negativamente con el tipo ambivalente.”
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“This involves behavioral, emotional, and cognitive components (Sternberg, 1986; Hazan and Shaver, 1987).”
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“Sternberg (1986, 1997, 2000) has proposed a different theory to explain relationship quality, based on the emotional needs of individuals.”
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“Classical addiction researchers (e.g. Aaker et al. 2004; Fehr and Russell 1991; Fournier 1998; Fournier and Alvarez 2013; Sternberg 1986) and recent brand addiction scholars (e.g., Cui et al. 2018; Mrad 2018; Mrad and Cui 2017a, b) have proposed that brand addiction involves consumers’ absolute…”
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“Drawing upon the theory of interpersonal love (Sternberg, 1986), Carroll et al. (2006) introduced the concept of brand love, de fi ning it as a consumer ’ s passionate emotional connection with a brand.”
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“In this study, the ecological perspective was not integrated into the triangle theory of love (see Sternberg, 1986).”
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“(2017, 2019) critiqued the focus on a unidimensional (e.g., Hatfield & Rapson, 1990, 1993; Kim & Hatfield, 2004; Sternberg, 1986, 1988), manic, obsessive passion.”
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“This theory provides a basis for understanding many aspects of the underlying love in intimate relationships [10].”
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“…the result about intimacy in this study suggests that emotional engagement is important for both middle-aged men and women as intimacy reflects the emotional aspect of love (Sternberg, 1986), even though women are still more sensitive to emotional interactions than men in their marital happiness.”
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“Shimp and Madden (1988) clustered brand love relationships into eight types (i.e., “non-liking,” “liking,” “infatuation,” “functionalism,” “inhibited desire,” “utilitarianism,” “succumbed desire,” and “loyalty”), based on Sternberg’s love theory (Sternberg, 1986).”
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“In his Triangular Theory of Love, Sternberg [3] postulated that romantic love comprised the three components of passion, intimacy and commitment, and similarly to the theory proposed by Hendrick and Hendrick [2], he suggested that different combinations of these elements could result in six different types of love.”
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“Commitment and love are also conceptually distinct (e.g., people can be committed without love; Noller, 1996; Sternberg, 1986).”
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Sorokowski, P., Groyecka-Bernard, A., Karwowski, M., et al. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10484-x · Cited by 15
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“According to Sternberg (1986, 1997), it is possible to create various types of love through mixtures between passion, intimacy and commitment.”
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“Intimacy is a term for a person’s innermost qualities, which classically refers to the experience of “strong feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bonding” [15].”
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Soloski, K. L., Pavkov, T. W., Sweeney, K. A., & Wetchler, J. L. (2013) · Contemporary Family Therapy · doi:10.1007/s10591-013-9247-5 · Cited by 11
“Sternberg and Grajek (1984) tested three different theories of love through factor analysis, but Sternberg (1986) later hypothesized that more than just intimacy is involved in the construct of love.”
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Multidimensional Measurement of Sexual Orientation: Past
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Kim, Y. (2008) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 15
Kindelberger, C., & Tsao, R. (2014) · The Journal of Genetic Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221325.2013.834291 · Cited by 15
“The theory of love in adulthood (Sternberg, 1986) suggests that love includes three dimensions: intimacy, passion (sexual desire), and commitment.”
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Cassepp‐Borges, V. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.12043827 · Cited by 15
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“…2001; Leary & Downs, 1995); Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) (Gray, 1973); Self-expansion model (Aron & Aron, 1996); Triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986); Social baseline theory (SBT) (Beckes & Coan, 2011); Relational competence theory (L’Abate, 2010); Relational turbulence model…”
BackgroundInstrumental Love: Political Marriage and Family Firm Growth
Lü, F., Huang, X., Xu, E., Chung, C., & He, X. (2022) · Management and Organization Review · doi:10.1017/mor.2021.75 · Cited by 14
“We define ‘romantic love’ as the natural emotional attraction toward another person, which is primarily based on the strength of intimacy and passion (Sternberg, 1986).”
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“Sternberg (1986) proposed the triangular theory of love, with its dimensions as passion, intimacy, and commitment.”
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“Three separable (if not fully independent) components in romantic love have been suggested by modern authors [1–4].”
BackgroundInfluentialAdrenocortical and autonomic attunement between romantic partners in emerging adulthood
Phan, J. M., R. Dismukes, A., Barnett, N., Miocevic, O., L. Ruttle, P., & Shirtcliff, E. A. (2019) · Stress · doi:10.1080/10253890.2019.1600502 · Cited by 15
“We examined whether relationship duration (months officially a couple) and consummate love (Sternberg, 1986) between partners moderated physiological attunement and did not find either factors had an effect on attunement in our study.”
BackgroundBonilla‐Algovia, E., Rivas‐Rivero, E., Universidad de Alcalá, Á. D. P. S., et al. (2018) · Suma Psicológica · doi:10.14349/sumapsi.2018.v25.n2.8 · Cited by 14
McKinley, C. E., & Lilly, J. M. (2020) · Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work · doi:10.1080/15313204.2020.1770650 · Cited by 14
“Historically, the three varieties of love include (a) intimacy: feelings of closeness, warmth, and bonding; (b) passion: or sexual arousal and intensity; and (c) commitment: or the intentional choice to love and maintain that love with someone (Sternberg, 1986).”
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“Loved or not, they had to be well kept to last for a very long time so as to avoid the burden of acquiring new clothes.”
BackgroundInfluentialAlshreef, M. A., Hassan, T. H., Helal, M. Y. I., Saleh, M. I., Palei, T. F., Alrefae, W. M. M., Elshawarbi, N. N., Al-Saify, H., Salem, A. E., & Elsayed, M. A. S. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15097286 · Cited by 15
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“In social psychology, intimacy is composed of “warmth,” “closeness,” and “sharing a relationship” [52].”
Leveraging the potential of word of mouth: The role of love, excitement and image of fashion brands
Ismail, A. R. (2015) · Journal of Global Fashion Marketing · doi:10.1080/20932685.2014.999013 · Cited by 14
“Shimp and Madden (1988) have proposed a conceptual model of “consumer–object relationships” inspired by the triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986), in which Sternberg’s three components of love (intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment) become liking, yearning and decision/commitment in a consumption context.”
Does Love Influence Athletic Performance? The Perspectives of Olympic Athletes
Campbell, K. M., Hosseini, C., Myers, K. A., & Calub, N. (2016) · Review of European Studies · doi:10.5539/res.v8n2p1 · Cited by 14
“Based on Sternberg (1986, 1998) and Fisher’s (2006) theories, and Aron et al.’s (2005) empirical work, we speculated that RPL and athletic performance may involve the reward-motivation system, which could either enhance or detract from experiences in each domain.”
MethodTourist Experience in Lijiang—The Capital ofYanyu
Xu, H., & Ye, T. (2016) · Journal of China Tourism Research · doi:10.1080/19388160.2016.1168758 · Cited by 16
“a dream, as it lacks the responsibility and commitment of a long and stable relationship (Sternberg, 1986); and within a very short time, the tourists again have to return to their normal lives.”
BackgroundBirnbaum, G. E. (2014) · Cited by 15
I get so lonely, baby: The effects of loneliness and social isolation on romantic dependency
Hasan, M., & Clark, E. M. (2016) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2016.1229251 · Cited by 15
“While the forming of social bonds is generally characterized by positive emotions, the lack of interpersonal relationships can lead to negative emotional experiences, such as loneliness (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Sternberg, 1986).”
BackgroundMultisensory Brand Experiences and Brand Love
Rodrigues, C. (2017) · Advances in marketing, customer relationship management, and e-services book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-2921-7.ch001 · Cited by 14
Langeslag, S. J. E., & Strien, J. W. V. (2017) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.015 · Cited by 13
“There are different types of love (Berscheid, 2010; Fisher, 1998; Hatfield, 1988; Sternberg, 1986), including infatuation (or passionate love) and attachment (or companionate love).”
BackgroundLove between couples living with Alzheimer's disease: narratives of spouse care-givers
Shavit, O., Ben‐Ze’ev, A., & Doron, I. I. (2017) · Ageing and Society · doi:10.1017/s0144686x1700109x · Cited by 14
Partners’ Daily Love and Desire as Predictors of Engagement in and Enjoyment of Sexual Activity
Vowels, L. M., & Mark, K. P. (2020) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/0092623x.2019.1711274 · Cited by 14
“…sexual desire have traditionally been viewed as trait-level stable responses but some researchers have recognized the importance of state-level fluctuations in both romantic love and sexual desire (e.g., Aron & Aron, 1998; Diamond, 2003, 2004; Hatfield & Rapson, 1993; Mark, 2015; Sternberg, 1986).”
BackgroundExtending the Marriage Metaphor as a Way to View Marketing Relationships
Stoltman, J. J., & Morgan, F. W. (2002) · Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing · doi:10.1300/j033v09n01_05 · Cited by 14
The Subjective Experience of Love through Adult Life
Reeder, H. M. (1996) · The International Journal of Aging and Human Development · doi:10.2190/v7j3-xqal-2x59-m16x · Cited by 14
Toward a New Paradigm in Sex Therapy
Hertlein, K. M., & Weeks, G. (2009) · International Journal of Systemic Therapy · doi:10.1080/08975350902967234 · Cited by 14
“Our integrated sex therapy paradigm is informed by Sternberg's triangular theory of love ( Sternberg, 1986 ), the intersystem approach ( Weeks, 1994 ), and the theory of interaction ( Strong & Clairborn, 1982 ).”
MethodFinding Love: Passion, Intimacy, and Commitment in the Relationships of Gay Men
Brown, J., Ramirez, O. M., & Schniering, C. A. (2013) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy · doi:10.1002/anzf.1004 · Cited by 14
Individuals in Conflict: An Internal Family Systems Approach
Green, E. J. (2008) · The Family Journal · doi:10.1177/1066480707313789 · Cited by 14
“According to Sternberg (1986), love contains the elements of passion, intimacy, and commitment, all of which can be developed and nurtured in a healthy marriage.”
BackgroundA dyadic model of investments: Partner effects on commitment
Coy, A. E., Davis, J. L., Green, J. D., & Etcheverry, P. E. (2019) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/0265407518822783 · Cited by 13
“However, passionate and intimate love, variables from the triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986) did not improve the prediction of commitment when added to the investment model of commitment (rather, adding investments to the triangular theory of love increased the amount of variance in…”
BackgroundXia, M., Chen, Y., & Dunne, S. (2023) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/famp.12873 · Cited by 18
What is in a game? The impact of advergame design and reward elements on gamers' brand patronage
Sarkar, J. G., Sarkar, A., & Sreejesh, S. (2023) · Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics · doi:10.1108/apjml-01-2023-0027 · Cited by 14
Love and Relationship Satisfaction as a Function of Romantic Relationship Stages
Cassepp‐Borges, V., Gonzales, J. E., Frazier, A., et al. (2023) · Trends in Psychology · doi:10.1007/s43076-023-00333-4 · Cited by 13
“Love styles, self-enhancement, personality, interaction patterns, emotional intelligence, partner support, depression, and economic factors are some determinants of relationship satisfaction (Farooqi, 2014), which can be classified in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional factors (Fincham & Beach, 2006).”
InfluentialExpanding the Interpersonal Dimension: Closeness in the Coach-Athlete Relationship: A Commentary
Jowett, S. (2007) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1260/174795407783359632 · Cited by 13
“Moreover, Rusbult’s [12, 13] investment model, Sternberg’s [14] model of triangular love, and many other models can easily be categorised as reflecting more or less cognitive, affective, and/or behavioural closeness.”
BackgroundIncreasing Capital Revenue in Social Networking Communities
Bishop, J. (2010) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/978-1-60566-984-7.ch131 · Cited by 13
Gaber, H. R., ElSamadicy, A. M., & Wright, L. T. (2021) · Cogent Business & Management · doi:10.1080/23311975.2021.1884344 · Cited by 14
“be clarified by examining the triangular love theory that explains the emotion of love in interpersonal relationships (Sternberg, 1986).”
BackgroundHeshmati, S., & Oravecz, Z. (2021) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/02654075211036510 · Cited by 15
“The features loaded on three factors that represented passion, intimacy, and commitment—the three components of Sternberg’s triangular love (Sternberg, 1986)—with intimacy being rated the highest relevant feature followed by commitment and lastly passion.”
BackgroundStruck by a cupid’s arrow: The conjuring bliss and sinister shades of employee workplace romance
Anand, A., Doll, J. L., Centobelli, P., et al. (2022) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113304 · Cited by 13
LOS CUATRO COMPONENTES DE LA RELACIÓN DE PAREJA
Cid, F. M. (2011) · Revista Electrónica de Psicología Iztacala · Cited by 14
Análisis de instrumentos para la medida del amor
Carreño, M., & Serrano, G. (1995) · International Journal of Social Psychology Revista de Psicología Social · doi:10.1174/021347495763810938 · Cited by 13
The Role of Passion in Adult Self-Growth and Development
Vallerand, R. J., & Rapaport, M. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1042-6_10 · Cited by 13
The Relationship between Intimacy Change and Passion: A Dyadic Diary Study
Aykutoğlu, B., & Uysal, A. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02257 · Cited by 14
“Keywords: intimacy, passion, romantic relationship, diary studies, dyadic data INTRODUCTION Intimacy and passion are two of the three main components of love (Sternberg, 1986).”
BackgroundInfluentialAssessing passionate love: Italian validation of the PLS (reduced version)
Aghedu, F. C., Veneziani, C. A., Manari, T., Feybesse, C., & Bisiacchi, P. S. (2018) · Sexual & Relationship Therapy · doi:10.1080/14681994.2018.1442570 · Cited by 15
“According to Sternberg (1986), love can be distinct between infatuation (i.e. experiencing thrill and excitement in the absence of intimacy and commitment) and romantic love (i.e. an experience that combines both intimacy and passion and that encompasses physical and emotional elements).”
BackgroundInfluential
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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