The effect of education of Sternberg’s components of love on intimacy of couples

Purpose: The present quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effect of education of Sternberg’s components of love (passion, intimacy, commitment) on intimacy of couples. Methodology: Twenty teacher couples from Zarqan, Iran, who had been married for more than 4 years were recruited through convenience sampling and randomized to intervention and control groups (10 each). The Marital Intimacy Questionnaire (MIQ) was used for date collection, and analysis of covariance and independent t test were used for data analysis. Findings: Mean differences in scores for global intimacy, affection, intimacy, openness, and consensus between the two groups were significant. Also, the results show that the training of components of love significantly improved intimacy problems between the couples However, no significant effect of training program was observed for affection. Discussion: training of Sternberg’s components of love positively affects the couples’ intimacy. Self-expression skills have helped participants to better understand the sources of stress, needs, and desires, enabling them to effectively resolve their issues.