According to a large 2022 study, men tend to say “I love you” more quickly than women. It takes men an average of 108 days (about 4 months) to confess love and women an average of around 123 days (about 4 months).
A majority of couples—an impressive 55%—said "I love you" within the first three months of dating. Specifically, a quarter said it within the first one to two months, followed by the 20% who said they did it after two or three months. Another 20% said at least five months had gone by before they confessed their love.
Two months may be too soon to say “I love you” for some people, while the same period of time may be perfect for other couples. You may also want to consider checking on your own feelings. Lust and infatuation can sometimes mimic aspects of romantic love, and could lead you to say “I love you” prematurely.
Whether you and your partner express love on a daily basis depends on your needs and preferences. Again, some couples utter these words multiple times per day, whereas others simply don't say, “I love you” very often. If you feel compelled to say it every day, there probably isn't anything wrong with this.
A man who's falling in love tends to show his desire for greater closeness and intimacy in many different ways. He will likely prioritize spending time with you and put in real effort to make you happy. He may show you his softer side, while also serving as a source of strength and comfort when you need it most.
While early relationship feels (and hormones) can be intoxicating, relationship experts warn that it might be a red flag if you or your partner is too quick to say, “I love you.”
If they haven't told you that they love you, this may be a sign that they're emotionally unavailable or detached from their feelings. For example, there are people who are unable to really open up and share their true feelings with a partner because they don't want to appear weak or vulnerable.
Case in point: An 2018 survey of 1,000 British men and women found that while more than half of them take over three months to say, "I love you," 32% of women and 29% of men say it in one to three months—and 10% of women and 14% of men say it in just one to four weeks.
Both Cosgrove and Ruiz agree that it's best to say those three special words once you have spent at least three to five months getting to know your partner, where you've likely also talked about future plans you'd like to experience together, whether that be marriage or even just a vacation.
Men usually say it first, and it's for the reason you think
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Sociology Psychology found that, while both male and female college students believe women tend to say “I love you” first, it's actually men who fall in love faster and say the L-word earlier.
Should you say it first? In general, if two people love each other, it doesn't matter who says "I love you" first. If you're not sure whether your partner feels the same way you do, you can still tell them how you feel—just be mindful of why you're doing it.
This depends entirely on the man. Some men might consider it excessively needy, while others might be flattered and respond accordingly. However, it is usually wiser for the woman to wait until the man uses this expression first. Moreover, some men tend to express their "love" in actions rather than words.
The honeymoon phase is an early part of a couple's relationship where everything seems carefree and happy. It usually lasts from six months to two years and can be marked with lots of laughs, intimacy, and fun dates.
How long does it really take to fall in love? According to Katie Ziskind, a holistic licensed marriage and family therapist in Niantic, Connecticut, it can take between 2 weeks and 4 months to love someone. But it may take longer before a person actually considers telling their partner they love them.
The average time for men to fall in love is 88 days, while those same feelings of true love take women 134 days. Another dating site, Elite Singles, did a poll in 2017 and found that 61 per cent of women believe in love at first sight, while 72 per cent of men do. These surveys focused on heterosexual relationships.
In fact, researchers found that men thought about confessing love six weeks earlier, on average, than women. The general consensus among studies on love is that men fall in love faster than women.
Men are similarly socialized to believe that marriage is something that they won't like and should avoid for as long as possible. Men hesitate to use the words “I love you” for fear of giving the impression that it is only a matter of time before the ring follows.
According to Dr. Brown, the inability to say, “I love you,” after being in a committed relationship for an extended period of time (and with no reasonable explanation) may suggest that your SO has some walls up. “There might be some part of them that's emotionally closed off,” he says.
They theorized that when men said it first, before having sex, it was a way to gain their partner's trust and thus ease the way to sexual activity—an impulse that the men may not even have been conscious of. “The decision to say they feel love first can make sense strategically,” Ackerman says.
The question of when to say “I love you” in a relationship is a contentious one. In the many conversations I've had on the topic, the consensus seems to be that three months in is the sweet spot. But that feels like a lifetime to me. In all my serious relationships, the L-word was dropped closer to three weeks.
He gives you a gentle kiss
A guy kisses gently the girl he likes a lot. If he kisses you slowly and with tenderness, his main goal is to make you feel comfortable and wanted. While kissing you gently he wants to tell you that you can feel secure with him and that he cares about you.