In Iranian female and male adolescents, romantic love is related to hypomania and low depressive symptoms, but also to higher state anxiety

Abstract

Background. Experiencing romantic love is important in individual development. Little is known about romantic love among adolescents in non-Western countries. The aim of the present study was to explore romantic love among Iranian male and female adolescents. Method. A total of 201 adolescents (mean age: 17.73 years) took part in the study; of these, 81 indicated they were experiencing romantic love at the time of survey, and 120 indicated they were not in love. Participants answered questionnaires related to affective states (hypomania, depressive symptoms, state and trait anxiety) and exercise, and completed a sleep log for seven consecutive nights. Results. Compared to controls, participants in love displayed favourable hypomania scores, fewer depressive symptoms and increased concentration during the day. However, participants in love also had higher state anxiety scores. Moreover, hypomanic-like stages increased with duration of relationship in female, but not in male participants. Conclusions. The pattern of results suggests a favourable association between being currently in love and emotional and cognitive processes. Sleep, however, seemed unrelated to this specific state.

Key Words::

• Romantic love
• hypomania
• anxiety
• adolescents

Acknowledgements

We thank Nick Emler (Surrey, UK) for proofreading the manuscript.

Statement of Interest

The entire study was conducted without external founding, and all authors declare no conflicts of interests.

Notes

¹Separate computations for the control group revealed that increased anxiety scores were statistically significantly associated with increased depressive scores, decreased mood, lower concentration and more tiredness during the day.