
People in relationships report being more in love if they live in a country with high living standards, greater gender equality and a communityācentred culture.
To find out how experiences of love differ, at the University of WrocÅaw, Poland, and his colleagues surveyed 9474 adults in any form of romantic relationship across six continents.
The participants were given 45 statements, such as ājust seeing my partner excites meā, and were asked how strongly they agreed with each on a scale from 1 to 9.
Advertisement
Hungaryās respondents had the highest ālove scoresā on average, followed by Malaysia, Portugal, the US and Italy. The lowest scores were recorded in Austria, Jordan, South Korea, Uganda and Pakistan (see the full list below). The UK wasnāt included.
In general, the participants from countries that sit higher on the United Nationsā Human Development Index had greater love scores. Good living conditions may make it easier to be engaged with your partner, says Sorokowski.
Those from countries with greater gender equality also had higher love scores. This may be because women in these countries have more agency to choose partners they like, says Sorokowski.
Lastly, participants from more collectivist cultures, which stress the good of the community over the self, tended to have higher scores than those from individualistic countries. People from collectivist countries may be more selfless towards partners, which could lead to stronger bonds, says Sorokowski.
āConducting cross-cultural research on love allows us to gainĀ aĀ deeper understanding ofĀ thisĀ complex and universal emotionĀ and promote empathy andĀ understanding between cultures,ā he says.
Scientific Reports