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There’s no right time to say ‘I love you’.

As a survey find outs that most people say ‘I love you’ after three months, experts tell us it’s never too soon or too late to say the three words

- Collin Rodrigues collin.rodrigues@hindustant­imes.com

Ilove you’ may just be three simple words used in our everyday life. But when it comes to relationsh­ips, the three words may be arguably, the most important. Often, depending on when you say the three words, it can make or break a relationsh­ip. Now, a new survey done by YouGov, has found out that most people (22%) say ‘I love you’ to the person they are dating after three months. While 13% said ‘I love you’ within the first month, 14% said after six months.

So, how soon is too soon, and how long is too long to say I love you? Clinical psychologi­st Tanushree Bhargava says there is no fixed time to say ‘I love you’ to a person. She says, “There is nothing like a special occasion or time in a relationsh­ip when you should say ‘I love you’. You don’t need to necessaril­y complete a certain number of days before According to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Personalit­y and Social Psychology, men said ‘I love you’ first as a way of gaining their partner’s trust and ease the way to sex. “The decision to say they feel love first can make sense strategica­lly. Expression­s of love can serve other kinds of gains, like short-term romantic relationsh­ips,” said Joshua Ackerman, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, who is one of the authors of the study. dating a person to say ‘I love you’. But, one should be confident about their (dating partner) emotions and feelings for the person. You should be also able to differenti­ate between liking, lust and loneliness. You should say ‘I love you’ when you are comfortabl­e with your partner, feel secure and are ready to commit and can visualise your future together.”

BAD RECEPTION

At times, you could be ready to say ‘I love you,’ to your dating partner, and say it with great enthusiasm. But, this could ruin your bond with your date if he or she doesn’t love you or is not ready to get into a relationsh­ip with you. So, what do you do in such a situation? Relationsh­ip expert Vishnu Modi says that it’s very rare that two people who are dating, fall in love with each other at the same time. He says, “The chances that your date says ‘I love you too’ are slim. But, one should not panic and feel embarrasse­d. Remember that you are dating the person and love will eventually happen. So, now that your partner knows the truth, may also help later.”

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