 In 1985, Robert Sternberg presented a theory that has piqued the interest of various people, a theory concretizing something that has baffled the minds and wrenched the hearts of many—love. He called it the triangular theory of love, as it's best explained in the form of a triangle, but it's more commonly known as Sternberg's theory of love. In the context of interpersonal relationships, there are three components of love—intimacy, passion, and commitment. According to the theory, intimacy is the feeling of attachment, closeness, and connectedness. Passion, on the other hand, is the fiery depth and intenseness you experience when you like someone, encompassing the drive connected to both romantic and sexual attraction. The third component, commitment, ties the other two together, as it encompasses short-term and long-term decisions to remain with one another and plan for the future. According to Sternberg's theory of love, there are six forms of love, which are combinations of the three components previously described. 1. Non-love. Non-love is merely the absence of all three components. This basically characterizes the majority of our personal relationships, which consists of simple, casual interactions. It could apply to your acquaintances or people you're not particularly attached to. 2. Friendship. Friendship exists when only intimacy is present. This is the set of feelings you experience without the intense passion or commitment of romance. It can, however, be a root for other forms of love to manifest from. 3. Infatuated love. Infatuation occurs when passion is present and both intimacy and commitment is absent. Crushes fall under this category. Solely sexual relationships are also included as they're only bounded by carnal desires and nothing more. This is the most common root of romantic love as it's believed that intimacy develops over time. But if neither intimacy nor commitment develops, this type of love can fizzle over time. 4. Empty love. An example of empty love is an unhappy marriage, where intimacy and the flames of passion for your partner is gone. As a strong love deteriorates into empty love, nothing is left but the contract of marriage itself. It's characterized by the absence of intimacy and passion, despite the presence of commitment. Arranged marriages, on the other hand, can start out as empty loves but can develop into other forms of love over time. 5. Romantic love. Romantic love is a combination of intimacy and passion. Relationships under this category not only involve physical bonds but emotional bonds as well. This is one of the most common stepping stones to married life. However, it lacks commitment. This type of relationship is easier to dissolve with no legal issues if you or your partner have had enough of it. 6. Companionate love. Companionate love is characterized by a combination of intimacy and commitment and the absence of passion. It's stronger than friendship love because of the addition of commitment. It's observed in long-term marriages, where you don't necessarily need passion in order to stay in love with your partner, because affection still remains. Companionate love can also be found among family members and close friends who have strong platonic friendships. 7. Fatuous love. A good example of a fatuous love is when Kim Kardashian married Chris Humphries, only to divorce him 72 days later. It's a whirlwind of romance we usually see on television. Fatuous love is the combination of commitment and passion without intimacy. 8. Consummate love. Consummate love sits at the very center of the triangle as it's said to be the perfect, ideal type of love. All three components are present in this type of love and it's the goal for people and relationships. Like to Sternberg, couples experiencing consummate love will continue to be sexually intimate years into the relationship and they can't imagine themselves being happier with other partners. They work through their difficulties and find delight in their relationships. However, Sternberg cautions that maintaining this relationship is harder than achieving it and is not a permanent form of love. With that, do you agree with the types of love that Sternberg proposes? What other factors do you think affect a relationship? Do you think the six forms of love are global or is there a subjective perspective for every couple? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. On a side note, Psych2Go is planning to make some cool merch for you guys and we're taking suggestions so let us know if you have any ideas. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out our website and other social media as well as our new Patreon account for more content and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching!