Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
Love styles and desire for closeness in romantic relationships
Alan K Goodboy1, Melanie Booth-Butterfield
1Bloomsburg University, PA, USA. agoodboy@bloomu.edu
Abstract:
This study investigated differences in love styles (i.e., eros, ludus, storge, pragma, agape, mania) associated with the romantic desire for closeness. Participants were 197 undergraduate students (M age = 19.8 yr., SD = 1.9; 92 men, 104 women) currently in a romantic relationship who completed a survey assessing their love styles and current desire for closeness with their partner (i.e., desired less closeness, the same level of closeness, or more closeness). Results indicated small significant differences in individuals' preferences for closeness with the eros and ludus love styles. Specifically, individuals who desired less closeness scored lower on eros love and higher on ludus love than partners who reported an ideal level of closeness or who desired more closeness.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship Formation
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love
Close Relationships and Culture
Passionate Love
