Cultural Models of Everyday Love in Contemporary Spain: A Mixed‐Methods Cultural Consensus Study
Saida Heshmati, Jaymes Paolo Rombaoa, Lindy Williams, Dana Hussein, Carmen Goicoechea, Andrew Villamil, Catalina Oselio, Saina Salamati, Corey M. Abramson, Martín Sánchez‐Jankowski, Royce Anders, Pandelis Perakakis, Stewart I. Donaldson, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Zita OraveczABSTRACT
Using a sequential mixed‐method approach guided by Cultural Consensus Theory, we examined shared agreement about daily experiences that evoke feelings of love in the Spanish culture. In Study 1, we conducted semi‐structured interviews ( n = 54), two‐person interviews ( n = 6) and focus groups (3–5 participants; n = 40). Qualitative analyses found recurring experiences centred on explicit affection, dependable support and care, quality time and thoughtful actions. In Study 2, a representative sample of Spaniards ( N = 502) evaluated these experiences to assess if cultural agreement elicit feelings of love. Cognitive psychometric analysis revealed strong shared agreement. Experiences most likely to evoke love involved support and dependability, shared quality time and explicit expressions of love, particularly within close relationships such as family, partners and friends. In contrast, controlling or possessive behaviours from romantic or familial ties were unlikely to elicit love. These findings advance social psychological theory by demonstrating that everyday love can be understood as a form of shared cultural knowledge, specifically a relational social schema that can be empirically identified through Cultural Consensus Theory.