What Passionate Love Is
Psychologists distinguish two broad kinds of romantic love:
- Passionate love: an intense longing for union with another person, full of excitement, attraction and preoccupation.
- Companionate love: a deep, warm affection and commitment that grows over time.
This test measures the first. It looks at passionate love in three parts, following the way researchers have described it:
| Part | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Thoughts | Preoccupation, idealisation, imagining a future |
| Feelings | Attraction, excitement, mood swings |
| Behaviour | Seeking closeness, effort, rearranging life |
How It Is Scored
You rate 15 statements about one person. Three are reversed. Your total and each part appear as percentages.
| Score | Result |
|---|---|
| 0% to 30% | Calm affection |
| 31% to 55% | Warm attraction |
| 56% to 80% | Passionate love |
| 81% to 100% | All-consuming passion |
The statements are written by PrismaTest. They follow the published description of passionate love but are not taken from the Passionate Love Scale.
The Research
Psychologists Elaine Hatfield and Susan Sprecher developed the Passionate Love Scale in 1986, one of the most widely used tools in relationship science. Their work, and later studies, found that:
- Passionate love appears across cultures and ages, including in children and older adults.
- It tends to be most intense early in relationships and usually declines over the first few years.
- Brain imaging studies by Arthur Aron and Helen Fisher found that thinking about a beloved activates reward regions of the brain, the same ones linked with motivation and craving.
- A 2012 study by Daniel O’Leary and colleagues found a sizeable minority of long-married couples still reported very intense love, especially those who shared new activities and affection.
Passion Over Time
| Relationship stage | Typical passion level |
|---|---|
| First months | Often very high |
| One to three years | Usually settling |
| Long term | Varies widely; can be renewed |
A drop in passion is normal and not a sign that love is ending. Many couples shift towards companionate love, and some keep a strong spark through novelty and closeness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a very high score a good sign?
It shows strong attraction. It is healthiest when it comes with trust rather than anxiety.
Why has my passion faded?
Familiarity naturally reduces intensity. New shared experiences and physical affection can bring some back.
Can I feel passionate love for someone I barely know?
Yes. That is often infatuation, which can grow into love or fade.
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