Want a fast, reliable check on your relationship? The Valentine Scale, backed by research, helps couples gauge trust, emotional closeness, and communication in just seven questions — plus, it’s free to try online.
Romantic relationships play a crucial role in psychological well-being, enhancing quality of life, and helping prevent mental health issues. However, there are few reliable and accessible tools for assessing relationship health. That’s where the Valentine Scale comes in, says Per Carlbring, a psychology professor at Stockholm University and one of the researchers behind the study.
A Quick and Effective Relationship Check
“This scale makes it possible to quickly and efficiently get an idea of how a relationship is doing, without having to go through long and complicated interviews or questionnaires. It can even be used during couples counseling to monitor progress over time,” he says.
The Valentine Scale consists of seven questions that assess key aspects of a relationship, including emotional closeness, trust, and conflict resolution. Based on the results, couples receive practical suggestions for strengthening their relationship through everyday exercises.
How the Valentine Scale Works
Two extensive studies with over 1,300 participants show that the Valentine Scale has high reliability over time. It was also found to have strong correlations with other established measures of relationship satisfaction, such as the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and Quality of Dyadic Relationships. In addition, the Valentine Scale is easier to use and freely available compared to many other scales.
“At the same time, it can predict improvements in quality of life and contribute to a reduction in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression by quickly providing a clear picture of how the relationship is doing and thus enabling early intervention,” says Per Carlbring.
Strengthening Relationships Through Reflection
The Valentine’s scale should be seen as a tool for reflection and dialogue, not as a definitive assessment of the future of the relationship, Per Carlbring points out. The aim is to encourage open communication and understanding, not to create unnecessary stress.
“Do the Valentine’s test as a step to start getting closer to each other on Valentine’s Day,” he says, emphasizing the importance of not over-interpreting the results or becoming too fixated on achieving a good result.
“If the test result raises concerns, it may be a good idea to talk about what lies behind the answers. Relationships are dynamic and affected by many factors. It may be stress, communication difficulties or other life circumstances. By reflecting together, you can find ways forward, whether it’s strengthening the relationship or making other decisions,” says Per Carlbring.
Take the Test and Gain Insight
The Valentine’s Scale is available free of charge and can be tested online with automatic scoring at https://valentinskalan.se/eng/. By answering the seven questions, you can get an indication of how you feel about your relationship right now.
Reference: “To be or not to be satisfied in your romantic relationship: evaluating the reliability and validity of the Valentine scale” by Jón Ingi Hlynsson, Ísak Örn Ívarsson, Gerhard Andersson and Per Carlbring, 10 February 2025, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2024.2420655
