From the first kiss to meeting the friends, there are several key milestones that couples hope to hit as they begin dating.
Now, scientists have shed new light on one of the most significant steps – saying ‘I love you.’
Experts from Abertay University found that, across multiple countries and cultures, men are more likely to confess their love first.
On average, men utter those special three words 107 days (3.5 months) into a relationship, according to the researchers.
In contrast, women tend to wait slightly longer, confessing their feelings after 122 days (four months), on average.
Experts from Abertay University found that, across multiple countries and cultures, men are more likely to confess their love first (stock image)
In the study, first reported by The British Psychological Society, the researchers set out to understand the average time it takes people across various countries and cultures to say ‘I love you’.
The team enlisted 3,109 participants from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Poland and the UK (70 per cent women and 30 per cent men), who were asked to complete several online questionnaires.
In the first survey, the participants answered six questions about love confessions, including which partner said ‘I love you’ first in their most recent relationship.
Next, they were asked how long into the relationship they began thinking about saying ‘I love you’, when they actually said it, and when their partner said it.
Finally, they were asked about their attachment style, and how they felt when their partner declared their love.
The results revealed that, across six of the seven countries, men were more likely to confess their love first.
Men thought about saying ‘I love you’ 69 days (2.2 months) into a relationship, while women considered it after 77 days (2.5 months).
However, when it came to actually saying it, men confessed their love after 107 days (3.5 months) on average – 15 days quicker than the average woman.
Men thought about saying ‘I love you’ 69 days (2.2 months) into a relationship, while women considered it after 77 days (2.5 months)
Somewhat unsurprisingly, hearing these declarations made most participants feel happy, although attachment style did appear to play a part in this reaction.
Participants with an ‘avoidant’ attachment style (those who don’t rely on others and seek distance in relationships) were less happy to be told ‘I love you’, while those with an ‘anxious’ attachment style (those who are preoccupied with the responsiveness of their partner) were more happy.
‘Avoidant people were less happy to hear a love confession than less avoidant people while anxiously attached people were happier to hear a love confession than less anxious people, with this latter effect very small,’ the team wrote in their study, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
The study comes shortly after researchers from Michigan State University revealed that matching personalities are not the key to finding ‘The One’.
In a study of almost 1,300 couples, experts took a closer look at how five big personality traits affected levels of relationship satisfaction.
Emotional volatility, open mindedness and compassion were among these, in addition to how extroverted someone is and their conscientiousness.
While it was clear that many are drawn to partners who are similar, this was not seen to be crucial for long-lasting love.
