Stories we love by: conceptions of romantic relations among couples from the People's Republic of China and the United States

Abstract

This research examines conceptions of love among dating and married couples from China and the United States. Sixty-one dating and 81 married American couples and 46 dating and 94 married Chinese couples completed portions of Sternberg’s (1998) Love Stories Scale and measures of demographics, stress, and relationship satisfaction. Factor analyses revealed several love story components (objectification-threat, devotion-caring, pragmatism, pornography) common to both cultures, albeit there were subtle differences in their specific elements. Culturally unique components included “love as war” and “love as fairy tale” for the Americans and “love as current tending” and "incomprehensibility of lover” for the Chinese. Devotion– care was the strongest predictor of relationship satisfaction within each culture, independent of demographics and perceived stress. In sum, the research suggests that although Chinese and American views of love overlap somewhat, subtle cultural differences and culturally unique metaphors are also apparent.