EMERGING ADULTS AND CONSENSUS ON LOVE 1 What Makes Emerging Adults Feel Loved? Cultural Consensus of Felt Love Experiences in Emerging Adulthood Olivia Ellis1, Saeideh Heshmati1, and Zita Oravecz2 1Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University 2Human Developmental and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University This manuscript has been submitted to Applied Developmental Science. Author Note Olivia Ellis https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8621-9668 Saeideh Heshmati https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4002-128X We have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Saeideh Heshmati, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, 175 E. 12th St., Claremont, CA 91711. Email:
[email protected] EMERGING ADULTS AND CONSENSUS ON LOVE 2 Abstract The experience of love plays an integral role in human development as adolescents transition into young adulthood. However, little is known about whether emerging adults have a shared understanding about the indicators of love in daily life. Using Cultural Consensus Theory informed by developmental theory, this study examined whether emerging adults in the United States reach a consensus on what makes people feel loved. Emerging adults ages 18 to 22 responded to 60 items on everyday scenarios and decided whether they thought most people would think each scenario was loving or not. Bayesian cognitive psychometric analysis revealed that college-attending respondents converged on a shared belief on love, with most agreed upon scenarios centered on compassion, support, and acceptance. Moreover, we found that students with higher consciousnesses and extraversion scores were more knowledgeable about the consensus on felt love. We expand on the developmental implications of these findings.