It is difficult to conceive of a romantic relationship that is totally devoid of jealousy. It is also not uncommon to think that, on the contrary, a person who is not at all jealous does not sincerely love his partner. Therefore, the two feelings are commonly associated.

In fact, jealousy is a response to the threat exerted by a third person on a relationship to which we are attached. It is the fear of seeing his partner delighted by another person, and therefore the desire to keep his relationship, that is at the origin of this feeling.¹. In this sense, jealousy is less a proof of love for one’s partner than a desire to keep possession of it. If the feeling of love often induces in fact the instinct of possession, the reverse is not necessarily true, and it is not therefore love which directly explains jealousy.

M.-N. Schurmans, “Jalousie”, Dictionary of violence, 2011