Britons say ‘I love you’ quicker than expected, study finds

Men were also found to declare their love faster than women

Charley Ross
Tuesday 15 February 2022 10:40 EST
Comments
(iStock)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Telling someone that you love them is a huge moment in any relationship. It can be difficult, anxiety-inducing and at times life-affirming – and new research has found that Brits are willing to say it earlier than we might expect.

According to research by online greeting card marketplace Thortful, the average Brit declares their love to a new significant other in less than a month. One in five of the 1,500 polled were also found to have said “I love you” by three months into a relationship.

A gender split was found when it comes to love declarations, as well. Thortful’s research found that men tend to say “I love you” faster than women do – 19 per cent report they’ve said it to a partner after just one month together.

Meanwhile, women were found to wait longer before putting their heart out there, with 18 per cent stating they’ve declared their love to their partner after three months or more.

The study also looked into the most popular love languages in the UK, delving deeper into how we express our love once we are in a serious relationship.

The five love languages are: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service and receiving gifts.

Some 63 per cent of Brits reported that physical touch was their favourite way of showing affection, with words of affirmation coming in second as the top love language. Quality time was chosen by 48 per cent of Brits – doing simple, wholesome things together like cooking, or taking a walk in the sun – and 32 per cent opted for acts of service.

Surprisingly, only 21 per cent chose gift giving as a love language – turns out the joy isn’t really in giving, instead of receiving.

So next time you’re looking to show love to a partner, consider a hug over a trip to the high street for something shiny.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in