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. 2023 Jan 14;13(1):773.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26663-4.

Modernization, collectivism, and gender equality predict love experiences in 45 countries

Piotr Sorokowski  1 , Marta Kowal  2 , Robert J Sternberg  3 , Toivo Aavik  4 , Grace Akello  5 , Mohammad Madallh Alhabahba  6 , Charlotte Alm  7 , Naumana Amjad  8 , Afifa Anjum  9 , Kelly Asao  10 , Chiemezie S Atama  11 , Derya Atamtürk Duyar  12 , Richard Ayebare  13 , Daniel Conroy-Beam  14 , Mons Bendixen  15 , Aicha Bensafia  16 , Boris Bizumic  17 , Mahmoud Boussena  18 , David M Buss  19 , Marina Butovskaya  20 , Seda Can  21 , Antonin Carrier  22 , Hakan Cetinkaya  23 , Ilona Croy  24 , Rosa María Cueto  25 , Marcin Czub  2 , Daria Dronova  20 , Seda Dural  21 , Izzet Duyar  12 , Berna Ertugrul  12 , Agustín Espinosa  25 , Ignacio Estevan  26 , Carla Sofia Esteves  27 , Tomasz Frackowiak  2 , Jorge Contreras Garduño  28 , Karina Ugalde González  29 , Farida Guemaz  18 , Mária Halamová  30 , Iskra Herak  22 , Marina Horvat  31 , Ivana Hromatko  32 , Chin-Ming Hui  33 , Jas Laile Jaafar  34 , Feng Jiang  35 , Konstantinos Kafetsios  36   37 , Tina Kavčič  38 , Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair  15 , Nicolas Kervyn  22 , Truong Thi Khanh Ha  39 , Imran Ahmed Khilji  40 , Nils C Köbis  41 , Aleksandra Kostic  42 , Hoang Moc Lan  39 , András Láng  43 , Georgina R Lennard  17 , Ernesto León  25 , Torun Lindholm  7 , Trinh Thi Linh  39 , Giulia Lopez  44 , Nguyen Van Luot  39 , Alvaro Mailhos  26 , Zoi Manesi  45 , Rocio Martinez  46 , Sarah L McKerchar  17 , Norbert Meskó  43 , Marija Pejičić  42 , Girishwar Misra  47 , Conal Monaghan  17 , Emanuel C Mora  48 , Alba Moya-Garófano  46 , Bojan Musil  31 , Jean Carlos Natividade  49 , George Nizharadze  50 , Elisabeth Oberzaucher  51 , Anna Oleszkiewicz  2 , Mohd Sofian Omar-Fauzee  52 , Ike E Onyishi  11 , Baris Özener  12 , Ariela Francesca Pagani  53 , Vilmante Pakalniskiene  54 , Miriam Parise  44 , Farid Pazhoohi  55 , Annette Pisanski  48 , Katarzyna Pisanski  2 , Edna Ponciano  56 , Camelia Popa  57 , Pavol Prokop  58 , Muhammad Rizwan  59 , Mario Sainz  60 , Svjetlana Salkičević  32 , Ruta Sargautyte  54 , Ivan Sarmány-Schuller  61 , Susanne Schmehl  51 , Anam Shahid  9 , Shivantika Sharad  47 , Razi Sultan Siddiqui  62 , Franco Simonetti  60 , Meri Tadinac  32 , Christin-Melanie Vauclair  63 , Luis Diego Vega  29 , Kathryn V Walter  14 , Dwi Ajeng Widarini  64 , Gyesook Yoo  65 , Marta Zaťková  30 , Maja Zupančič  38 , Agnieszka Sorokowska  2
Affiliations

Modernization, collectivism, and gender equality predict love experiences in 45 countries

Piotr Sorokowski et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Recent cross-cultural and neuro-hormonal investigations have suggested that love is a near universal phenomenon that has a biological background. Therefore, the remaining important question is not whether love exists worldwide but which cultural, social, or environmental factors influence experiences and expressions of love. In the present study, we explored whether countries' modernization indexes are related to love experiences measured by three subscales (passion, intimacy, commitment) of the Triangular Love Scale. Analyzing data from 9474 individuals from 45 countries, we tested for relationships with country-level predictors, namely, modernization proxies (i.e., Human Development Index, World Modernization Index, Gender Inequality Index), collectivism, and average annual temperatures. We found that mean levels of love (especially intimacy) were higher in countries with higher modernization proxies, collectivism, and average annual temperatures. In conclusion, our results grant some support to the hypothesis that modernization processes might influence love experiences.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of love (comprised of 45 items from the Triangular Love Scale) across the countries.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A graphical representation of the non-linear relationship between predicted love scores and Human Development Index (controlling for country’s collectivism, average annual temperature, and participants’ sex and relationship length).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Locations of data collection. Countries (in blue) with corresponding study sites (cities in orange).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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