The Four Types of Lovers, According to Science—and One of Them Can’t Stop Having Sex

Not all love is created equal—and according to new research, neither are the people having it. A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences has identified four distinct types of romantic lovers, including one group that reportedly has sex up to 20 times a week.

The study, led by Adam Bode, a biological anthropology PhD candidate at Australian National University, pulled data from over 1,500 people across 33 countries. The team used self-reported answers from 809 young adults aged 18 to 25 who said they were currently in love. What they found, Bode says, is that “we don’t all love the same”—something science, surprisingly, hadn’t shown before.

These Are the Four Types of Lovers

Using measures like commitment, obsessive thinking, emotional intensity, and sex frequency, researchers grouped participants into four clusters: mild, moderate, intense, and libidinous.

Mild romantics made up about 20% of respondents. They showed the lowest levels of everything—commitment, emotional intensity, and sexual activity. Only about 25% believed their partner was definitely in love with them, and just under 83% reported having sex.

Moderate romantics, the largest group at about 41%, were described as “entirely unremarkable.” This group leaned male, had fewer children, and showed steady levels of commitment and moderate sexual activity. Think: decent communication, scheduled date nights, very few surprise poems.

Intense romantics—about 29% of the sample—were the “crazy in love” types. High commitment, high obsessive thinking, high sexual frequency, and big feelings all around. Roughly 60% of this group were women.

Then there’s the libidinous romantics—just under 10% of respondents, and arguably the most eyebrow-raising. These lovers reported an average of 10 sexual encounters a week, sometimes hitting 20. They weren’t just physically invested, either. The study found this group showed high levels of emotional intensity, commitment, and obsessive thinking. Many were in serious relationships but didn’t live with their partners—maybe by design.

Interestingly, libidinous lovers were also more likely to crave travel, spend money, and smoke cigarettes. Make of that what you will.

Researchers also found that romantic love isn’t just emotional—it’s physiological. Changes in hormones and neurotransmitters can track it, and the phase typically lasts up to two years before shifting into “companionate love”—less lusty, more comfy.

While the findings might read like a BuzzFeed quiz with a libido, Bode emphasized the bigger picture. Romantic love, he says, is still under-researched despite its impact on relationships, culture, and family life. “Humans may still be evolving in terms of how they express it.”

So whether you’re mild, intense, or very, very libidinous—science officially says it’s all love. Just not the same kind.