The power of love

In their paper on Love Braxton-Davis and Boudreaux (2010) Have this to say:

Love and attraction appear to be universal emotions. Romantic love has been the norm since eighteenth-century Europe, when we began connecting marriage with romance (Lamanna & Reidmann, 2009), but confluent love is on the rise in Western society (Giddens, 1992). Romantic love refers to that which perpetuates gender stereotypes of the breadwinning father and homemaking mother; these roles remain persistent throughout the relationship. It is a love that is supposed to stand the test of time, enduring all hardship. Romantic love emphasizes being in love with a certain individual, “the one.” On the other hand, there is confluent love that is more flexible with the roles that individuals play, and it emphasizes a relationship in which the growth of each person is important.  The process of two individuals connecting in a meaningful way is particularly fascinating. Love and attraction in the Western world is seen as foundational to the formation and continuation of family, the basic bond between families. An ideology common to Western society is “Love at First Sight.” While the majority of Americans believe in this phenomenon, those with higher levels of education are least likely to believe in and have this experience. Dr. Earl Naumann (2001) illustrated this point in his book, Love at First Sight, based on research on a sample from the general U.S. population. In order to form a relationship, there must be some type of attraction, either physically or on a personality level. Initial attraction to a potential mate is highly associated with physical attractiveness.

Part one

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