Now that Valentine's Day has come and gone again for another year, hopefully, you had the chance to tell someone special in your life that you "love them" this year.

"I love you." Three simple words that can mean so much when said at the appropriate time. But, when is the proper time to start professing your undying love for that someone special in your life?

When it comes to dating and relationships, being too quick to say the "L-word" can leave you all alone on Valentine's Day if you're not careful.

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The folks at Forbes Heath recently conducted a survey to find out when and how soon the average American starts dropping the L-word on his or her romantic partner.

Knowing when to start throwing around the "L-word" can be tricky. If you say it too soon, it could cause your new romantic love interest to get scared and head for the hills. Not saying it soon enough in a new relationship, could have the reverse effect, and lead that person to believe you don't have any strong feelings for them at all.

So what is a person to do?

According to Forbes findings, the largest percentage of Americans begin to confess their love for someone within the first four to six months of dating them. That four to six-month period was the most popular response in all age groups except for those between the ages of 18 and 26. They were more inclined to say "I love you" after dating someone for just one to three months.

What about the average South Dakota love bird, how quickly do we start confessing our undying love for someone after being being struck by Cupid's arrow?

Forbes data shows that most South Dakotans start using the L-word after just three months of dating someone new.

While that might seem a bit quick, it's still not as fast as states like Arizona, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. When it comes to saying "I love you," residents in those three states are the fastest in the nation out of the gate. They begin using the L-word within the first three months of dating someone.

Conversely, Oregon, Illinois, and New Mexico are ranked as the slowest states to say “I love you." Let's not rush into things, appears to be the mindset of the majority of people in those three states.

Here's another key finding in Forbes's research, the better we are at partner selection, the more quickly we tend to declare our love for someone else.

It's probably best to hold off on the L-word, until you are absolutely sure your feelings for the other person are genuine and true. When you do get around to using those three little words, hopefully the person you're sharing your feelings with will be able to reciprocate.

Source: Forbes/Health