Separate what needs reorganising from what you freely choose.
Read about shared arrangements, valued experiences and resources that do not transfer directly, with scoring and a private inventory. Past investment never becomes an obligation to continue.
A mean requires six valid ratings. A higher value reflects greater endorsement of relationship-linked investment statements, without establishing relationship quality, reasons to stay or monetary loss.
The question is what is linked, not how much you love
- This part concerns valued resources connected to the continuation of the present partnership: arrangements requiring joint coordination, experiences whose existing meaning belongs within this relationship, and effort that would not transfer directly to another way of living. It does not simply add up all past time or put a price on shared experiences.
- The investment-model background distinguishes such investment from satisfaction, alternatives and intention to continue. FermatMind uses six original statements to help separate those questions, without reusing the published scale’s items. Investment is not presented as a lever you should increase to raise commitment. Many shared arrangements can coexist with either satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Reverse scoring and insufficient information
- All six statements use 1–5 ratings of current fit. The third describes valued resources remaining available, and the fifth describes little need for reorganisation, so both use 6 minus the response. The other four retain their ratings. The scored sum ranges from 6 to 30 and is divided by six for a mean from 1 to 5. This organises six responses; it measures neither return on investment nor actual loss.
- Any NA withholds the personal mean and retains the rated count. Someone with few shared arrangements can answer accordingly without exaggerating ties to obtain a result. Someone unsure whether a resource would remain available need not guess. NA never locks the complete guide.
Higher, lower and relationship duration
- A higher mean means greater endorsement of relationship-linked resources that may need reorganising or do not transfer directly. It can highlight specific matters worth clarifying, without establishing that the relationship is more valuable, that a partner loves you more, or that continuing is necessarily more suitable. The specific responses still matter in identifying which resources are important.
- A lower mean may occur in a newer partnership, one with independent arrangements, or one where most valued resources could remain available. It does not establish insincerity or shallow feelings. Years together are not this part’s scoring key, and spending or photographs cannot substitute for responses.
Worked example: investment does not answer intention
- In a fictional attempt, Cen answers 5, 4, 2, 4, 2 and 3 in this part’s order. Reversing the third and fifth gives 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 and 3: a sum of 24 and a mean of 24 ÷ 6 = 4.0. Cen is thinking about shared living arrangements, established everyday cooperation and valued experiences, rather than assigning a price to a partner.
- That 4.0 answers neither whether Cen feels satisfied nor how Cen wants the relationship to continue. Cen can separately write: “These matters need thoughtful arrangements” and “What kind of partnership do I want now?” Keeping the questions separate provides more information than ending the discussion with how much has already been invested.
Counterexample: years together can include independent arrangements
- Another fictional pair have been together for years while keeping stable separate homes, friendships and daily arrangements. Some valued resources would not disappear with a change in partnership status, so their reading may be lower. A newer relationship involving a shared move or complex coordination may require more reorganisation. Duration alone cannot answer the statements for either pair.
- Also distinguish time that has already passed from resources that still have value and would change with the relationship. This part cannot determine their exact boundaries or turn a feeling of loss into an obligation to continue. Valuing the past does not require giving up your own choice about present arrangements.
Compare the other parts without a stay-or-leave calculation
- Satisfaction concerns recent experience, intention concerns what you want now, and outside options concern the perceived appeal of other arrangements. None can be inferred from this investment mean. You may value many shared experiences while wanting a particular way of relating to stop, or have few shared arrangements while strongly wanting the partnership to continue.
- This edition does not add investment to satisfaction and subtract outside options to calculate total commitment or breakup risk. The highest of four means is not assigned as a relationship type. All four complete guides are presented so practical matters, experience and freely chosen intention can remain visible separately.
A private inventory: retained, coordinated and unknown
- On your own paper, sort the resources you have in mind into three columns: what would remain available if the relationship changed; what genuinely requires coordination; and what is not yet clear. Categories such as daily responsibilities or shared arrangements are enough. No amounts, addresses, names or other private information need to be entered. Nothing needs to be submitted to the website.
- Choose one uncertainty you would like to understand without making an immediate relationship decision. If a discussion is needed, allow the other person a different view. Do not use the mean to demand a promise or more investment. Handling shared matters thoughtfully and freely choosing whether to continue are separate tasks.
Limits and revisiting the reading
- This edition has no validated cutoffs, population norms, loss estimates or demonstrated Chinese–English equivalence. It does not determine a partner’s worth, ownership rights, difficulty leaving or relationship safety, and has no hiring, clinical or legal use. Without a current adult partnership, read the explanation without combining several past relationships into one attempt.
- When revisiting the guide, first check which matters have become clearer and which remain assumptions. If you answer again, clarify the relationship and time frame. A changed reading does not prove greater love, greater entrapment or stronger reasons to continue, and never means you should increase investment to obtain a higher number.