Londoners in relationships take the longest to say ‘I love you’, study finds

To say ‘I love you’, or not to say ‘I love you’ – that is the question

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Knowing when the timing’s right to make your first declaration of love in a relationship can be an extremely pivotal decision.

Do you wait until the other person says “I love you” first, or do you just go for it all guns blazing as soon as you catch those feels?

While people may differ in opinion regarding when you should make your true feelings known, a recent study has discovered that out of everyone in the UK, Londoners are the most likely to wait the longest.

Research conducted by eharmony has found that people living in London take an average of 194 days, more than six months, to confess their love.

On the other hand, those living in the east of England take a far shorter amount of time to tell the person that they’re with that they love them, taking an average of 106 days.

In the opinion of psychologist Emma Kenny, the competitive and fast-paced nature of the modern, digital dating scene may deter people from revealing their love at an early stage of a relationship.

“While having a greater range of options and ways to find a partner can be a positive thing, it also means today’s dating scene is increasingly competitive,” she says.

“Singles are faced with a ‘paradox of choice’, expanded by online and app dating.

“This can mean people are afraid to take the risk and say ‘I love you’ for fear that doing so too early and coming on too strong may backfire and push a partner away, rather than cementing the relationship.”

The study also explored how long it takes for Brits on the whole to say “I love you”, revealing that the average Brit now takes 25 more days to confess their love than they did in 2014.

Nowadays, people living in the UK are likely to take around 137 days, or four and a half months, to reveal their love to a partner, in comparison to 112 days just four years ago.

The study was carried out with sample of 2,000 adults in 2018 and 2,007 adults in 2014.

Here’s how many days it takes for people in different areas of the UK take to say “I love you”:

• London: 194
• Wales: 163
• North East: 162
• East Midlands: 139
• Yorkshire and Humberside: 138
• Scotland: 127
• South East: 123
• North West: 123
• West Midlands: 123
• South West: 114

The research also found that Brits are likely to say “I love you” to three romantic partners throughout their lifetimes.