Just in time for Valentine’s Day, researchers at Stockholm University have created a new way to measure relationship satisfaction. Their study, published in the journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, introduces the Valentine’s Scale, a short and scientifically tested questionnaire that helps couples understand how their relationship is going.
Romantic relationships play a big role in mental well-being, happiness, and overall quality of life. However, there aren’t many easy and reliable tools to assess the health of a relationship. That’s where the Valentine’s Scale comes in, says Per Carlbring, a psychology professor at Stockholm University and one of the researchers behind the study.
“This scale allows people to quickly understand the state of their relationship without needing long, complicated interviews or questionnaires. It can even be used in couples counseling to track progress over time,” he explains.
How the Valentine’s Scale Works
The scale consists of seven simple questions that focus on key relationship aspects such as:
- Emotional closeness
- Trust
- Conflict resolution
Once you complete the test, you receive practical tips and exercises to improve your relationship based on your results. The goal is to encourage healthy communication and reflection, not to give a final judgment on the future of the relationship.
A Reliable and Useful Tool
The researchers tested the Valentine’s Scale on over 1,300 people across two large studies. They found that it provided accurate and consistent results over time. It also matched well with other well-known relationship measures, such as the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Quality of Dyadic Relationships Scale.
One major advantage of the Valentine’s Scale is that it is free and easy to use, unlike many other relationship assessments. The study also found that using the scale can help predict improvements in life satisfaction and even reduce mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
This is because it helps couples identify potential problems early and take steps to improve their relationship.
Encouraging Reflection, Not Stress
Professor Carlbring stresses that the Valentine’s Scale is not meant to judge or predict the success of a relationship. Instead, it should be used as a starting point for discussion and reflection.
“If the results raise concerns, couples should talk about what might be causing them. Relationships are always changing and are influenced by stress, communication challenges, and other life situations,” he explains. “By reflecting together, couples can find ways to improve their relationship or, in some cases, make important decisions about the future.”
He also suggests using the test as a fun Valentine’s Day activity to help couples reconnect and grow closer.
So, if you’re curious about how your relationship is doing, the Valentine’s Scale might be a great way to start a meaningful conversation with your partner.
If you care about depression, please read studies that vegetarian diet may increase your depression risk, and Vitamin D could help reduce depression symptoms.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that ultra-processed foods may make you feel depressed, and these antioxidants could help reduce the risk of dementia.
The research findings can be found in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
