<![CDATA["First love" is often understood as the earliest relationship, but evidence from psycholinguistics, interpersonal communication, and autobiographical memory suggests that it is more accurately viewed as a narrative-cognitive status. This brief article introduces a minimal measurement framework for assessing this status through three indicators: the WE Index (the proportion of "we/us" pronouns relative to personal pronouns plus love labels/metaphors), Perceived Responsiveness, and Age-Event Compatibility as a proxy for cultural scripts. Relying on a structured narrative review of >100 studies, we map a process model of WE → Responsiveness → Event Centrality → First Love Labeling, with emotional intensity and age–event fit as drivers/moderators. The synthesis reveals consistent patterns: Higher WE indices correlate with higher responsiveness; responsiveness supports shared reminiscing and increases centrality; centrality predicts “first love” labeling, particularly when age-event expectations are met. The researchers present a quick operationalization (5-10 minute speech sample, 3-6 item responsiveness scale, 1-2 item fit check, and brief centrality measure) that is ready for replication. Conclusion: this framework summarizes complex literature into a clear, measurable, and testable starter kit, while providing practical contributions to relational assessment and education.]]>
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