
“Love is blind” may be too simple.
A 2026 study recruited 844 people in relationships and asked some of them to deliberately describe their partner's shortcomings.
Researchers then measured intimacy, passion, and commitment.
Thinking about those imperfections didn't significantly reduce these three components of love compared with the control condition.
Recognizing that your partner has flaws and loving them aren't necessarily contradictory.
Seeing someone realistically doesn't automatically mean seeing them less lovingly.
© Archives of Sexual Behavior (2026)