The poet Sergei Yesenin once wrote, “One can love only once,” while protagonists in iconic TV series have often concluded that “true” infatuation occurs at most twice in a lifetime. Nevertheless, neither of these assertions is supported by scientific evidence. American researchers approached the subject from a different angle: they surveyed over 10,000 individuals and calculated the average number of intense romantic attractions possible across a lifespan.
Numerous psychological studies are dedicated to love and infatuation. For instance, recent research authors have established correlations between personality type and private life, and they have also pinpointed the juncture at which romantic relationships cease to progress and begin moving toward a conclusion.
Specialists from the Kinsey Institute in the USA investigated how many times individuals experience profound, passionate love throughout their lives. The findings from the first large-scale study on this topic were published in the scientific journal Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships.
The publication’s authors polled 10,036 single adults, aged 18 to 99, from across the United States. The research revealed that, based on their self-perceptions, 14% had never experienced passionate love, 28% had felt it once, 30% twice, 17% three times, and 11% more than three times. On average, the survey participants had fallen intensely in love 2.05 times throughout their lives.
Older individuals, according to the obtained data, were more likely to report having experienced powerful, “genuine” romantic feelings. Researchers suggest this supports the notion that while initial infatuations often happen earlier in life, passionate love remains possible later on.
Men reported slightly more instances of intense attraction compared to women; however, this difference was statistically insignificant.
The study’s authors commented that these results should assist healthcare professionals from various fields in better comprehending patients’ romantic experiences and the connection between these feelings and overall health. Information detailing how passionate love manifests across the lifespan will aid in more accurately identifying what people seek from relationships. This insight is particularly relevant given that, according to the study, 51% of those surveyed feel greater pressure in the search for love compared to previous generations, and the media environment has rendered their standards and expectations somewhat unrealistic.
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