The study extends the motivational model of love through a predictive processing framework, suggesting broader interpretations of love experiences.
We extend Kruglanski et al.’s model by embedding it within a Goal-Directed Predictive Processing framework. This perspective conceptualizes romantic love as arising from self-referential inferences tied to personal goals and reveals that love may include merit, appreciation, and significance, but is not defined or limited by them. It also explains love experiences that exceed the scope of the authors’ model.
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Dessel et al. (2026) studied this question.
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