When we talk about love, most people picture butterflies, late-night phone calls,

or maybe that movie scene where someone runs through an airport.

But real love?

The kind that lasts longer than your phone's battery on a bad day?

That love takes more than chemistry.

It takes structure.

Robert Sternberg offered us a way to understand that structure with his triangular theory

of love.

Whether you're trying to decode your situation ship, wondering why you keep falling for the same

type, or reflecting on why

a great relationship fizzled, this theory has some answers. Let's break it down so you can start

making love make sense. Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

Every week on this show, I'll help you face

life challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Sternberg's model suggests that love is made up of three essential components. Intimacy,

passion, and commitment. Intimacy refers to emotional closeness, trust, and connectedness.

Passion is the physical and sexual attraction, the chemistry and fire that makes your heart race.

Commitment is the decision to love someone and stick with them over time. Each of these elements forms a corner of the triangle,

and different combinations of them create different kinds of love.

Strong, lasting love usually includes all three,

forming what Sternberg calls consummate love. But if one of these components is missing, the triangle

becomes lopsided, and so does the relationship. Intimacy is the emotional glue of a relationship.

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