Types of Love Test — Sternberg's Triangular Theory

Three components of one specific bond: intimacy (closeness and disclosure), passion (attraction and longing) and commitment (the intent to keep it). Each is rated on its own, and the combination of the three lands you on one of the eight types Sternberg's theory describes.

Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love, published in Psychological Review in 1986. Its central claim is that love is not one quantity but three components that combine — which is why eight types fall out of it rather than a single scale from «less» to «more».

No. We are not affiliated with Robert Sternberg, and the items of his Triangular Love Scale are not ours to reproduce. All 18 statements here are written by us from the published definitions of the three components. The theory is credited; the questionnaire is our own.

No — about anyone the questions can honestly be asked of: a partner, someone you're seeing, an ex you haven't finished thinking about, a close friend. Hold one person in mind for all 18 statements. Answering «about people in general» produces a result about nobody.

It should. The three components run on different clocks: passion rises and habituates fastest, intimacy accumulates slowly, commitment moves in steps and is the one most under your control. A result is a snapshot of now, not a verdict on the relationship.

It is the full set, not a prize. Sternberg's own point about it is uncomfortable: reaching it is easier than keeping it, because all three components have to be maintained at once and each decays differently if left alone. The other seven types are shapes, not failures.

The attachment test profiles you — how you bond under stress, across relationships and over years. This one profiles a single bond as it stands today. That's why you can retake it about a different person and get a different answer without contradicting yourself.

Neither. It is an educational self-reflection test. It does not assess whether a relationship is healthy, does not tell you to stay or leave, and is not a clinical instrument. If something in a relationship is harming you, that is a conversation for a qualified professional.