What Do You Associate With Romantic Love?

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a happy couple smiling
Americans frequently cited "friendship" and "comfort/love" as requirements for romantic love, but Lithuanian and Russian participants either seldom or never mentioned these requirements, the study shows. (Image credit: stock.xchng)

If you were asked to give 10 items that described romantic love, what would they be? Here's how others replied to a similar question.

In a new study published in the journal Cross-Cultural Research, scientists asked 1,157 adults from the United States, Russia and Lithuania to write in freelist form what they associated with romantic love.

Though respondents didn't use the exact same language to indicate, say, joy or being together, the scientists categorized list items that fell under the same meaning.

The top 5 items listed by Lithuanians and the percent who included the concept on their list:

  1. Being together: 50 percent
  2. Joy: 20 percent
  3. Walk: 17.5 percent
  4. Emotional upsurge: 17.5 percent
  5. Happy: 16.25 percent
  6. Kiss: 15 percent
  7. Do things together: 11.25 percent
  8. Temporary: 11.25 percent
  9. Sex: 11.25 percent
  10. Attention: 10 percent

Top 10 listed by Russians:

  1. Being together: 45 percent
  2. Sex: 25 percent
  3. Walking: 24 percent
  4. Unreal: 20 percent
  5. Beach/sea: 19 percent
  6. Joyful: 16 percent
  7. Travel: 15 percent
  8. Moon stars: 15 percent
  9. Candlelight dinner: 10 percent
  10. Night: 9 percent

Top 10 listed by U.S. participants:

  1. Being together: 38 percent
  2. Happy: 35 percent
  3. Friendship: 27 percent
  4. Mutual: 20 percent
  5. Care: 13 percent
  6. Love: 13 percent
  7. Sex: 13 percent
  8. Comfortable: 11 percent
  9. Connection: 10 percent
  10. Secure: 10 percent

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Live Science Staff
Live Science Staff
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