So, I saw this phrase “I love you more” popping up everywhere online lately. Everyone seemed to be saying it to their partners. Honestly, it kinda puzzled me at first. Like, what does it even mean? Isn’t “I love you” enough? Is it a competition now? Felt a bit weird.
Anyways, being the overthinker I am, I decided to actually try using it with my girlfriend. Just experiment, you know? See what happened. Started simple. One evening last week, just chilling on the couch watching some dumb show. Nothing special happening. I turned to her, said the usual “I love you.” She smiled, said “Love you too.” Then I grinned and tagged on, “I love you more.” Her smile got bigger, like instantly. She playfully nudged me and said, “No way, I love YOU more!” Then she kinda snuggled closer. Okay, cool. Positive reaction, totally lighthearted. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Figuring Out the Right Moments
Encouraged by that, I figured I’d try it other times. Mistake number one: Next day, she was stressing hard about work. Like, super stressed, frown lines deep. She sighed and said, “This project is killing me.” Trying to be supportive, I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “I know it sucks, but I love you more, okay?” Big mistake. She just looked at me, totally confused and honestly, kinda annoyed. “What? That doesn’t even make sense right now!” She was right. Her brain was full of work stress, and my fluffy phrase just didn’t fit. Felt totally awkward.
Tried it again another time after we had a minor disagreement about chores. Nothing huge, but you know, that slight tension after bickering. We both sorta cooled down. She mumbled, “Love you.” I automatically shot back, “I love you more.” Boom. Wrong move. It felt dismissive, like brushing off the friction. She snapped back, “No you don’t! Not when you leave your dishes in the sink!” Totally blew up the small peace. Lesson learned: Don’t use it right after any kind of argument, even a tiny one. It just fuels the fire or sounds insincere.
Kept experimenting though. Found it actually worked really well in a few specific spots:
- During silly moments: Like when we were playing a board game, trash-talking each other. She landed a killer move and gloated. I laughed and said, “Okay, fine, you win this round… but I love you more!” Cue mutual laughter.
- As a silly counterpoint: When she did something super nice, like surprising me with my favorite takeout. I’d say “Love you so much for this,” and when she replied “Love you,” I’d tack on “…more!” with a big, goofy grin. Felt playful, not competitive.
- Leaving messages: Texting her “Good morning!” and ending with “I love you… more!” or signing a note that way. Didn’t demand a response in the moment, just felt like a little extra sprinkle of affection.
What It Actually Means For Us
After a bunch of tries, some flops, and some wins, it kinda clicked. For us, at least, here’s what “I love you more” turned out to be:
- Not a literal measurement: Obviously, we’re not actually comparing love levels. That’s dumb.
- A playful energy boost: It’s like a verbal wink. It injects lightness and affection into a normal “I love you” exchange when the mood is already upbeat and affectionate.
- A specific vibe check: Only works when everything feels happy, relaxed, and connected. Zero tension. If there’s any leftover frustration or seriousness, it bombs hard.
- Her response matters: If she’s not in the mood for playful banter back, she just smiles or says “love you too.” That’s cool. Forcing it ruins it. But when she does play back (“Nuh-uh, I love YOU more!”), it becomes this silly little connection moment we both enjoy.
So yeah, that was my little experiment. Didn’t go in with a plan, just tried it out in real life, messed up a couple of times, learned from it, and figured out a couple of sweet spots where it actually adds a fun spark for us. Won’t be using it all the time, but nice to have in the playful affection toolkit.
