The interest in love is said to have grown out of research in intelligence. Within this chapter we also see a discussion of how relationships can be affected by an ideal other. The chapter closes with Sternberg explaining how the role of science is important in the study of the emotion of love. Science is thought to help us understand love s psychological basis, the dimensions of love, and why we love the way we do. Intimacy is the feeling that promotes closeness, connectedness, and bondedness within a relationship.
Passion is the expression of desires and needs and the longing for union with another.
Sternberg discusses different types of love that can consist of one, two or all three components. The time courses of relationships and the geometry of different triangles are also explained within this chapter. This chapter explains how love can be addictive, much like a drug. It is also seen in this chapter that similarity is important in relationships because like attracts like. The chapter closes with a discussion of relationship maintenance.