I have a confession to make I love musicals and those big moments when characters in love are inspired to burst into song. Musical numbers can cheer me up like little else. Romance has motivated much literature and a hell of a lot of pop songs. I asked AI, ‘Is romantic love a temporary illusion?’ Why? I suppose that I wanted to have my suspicions confirmed or refuted by something claiming to be a source of greater human knowledge without a subjective bias one way or another. Love is a passionate plane of human feeling and emotion. It lifts us up and, then, let’s us down. Some say love is the greatest force and the reason we are here. Romantic love is probably a cover for more instinctual drives, which are really running the show.
Here Is AI’s Take On The Nature Of Romantic Love
“Romantic love is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has been studied and debated by scholars and experts from various fields for centuries.
AI
The question of whether romantic love is a temporary illusion or a primary directive for the procreation of the human species is a contentious one, with valid arguments on both sides.
AI Tell Me, Is Romantic Love A Temporary Illusion?
On one hand, some argue that romantic love is a temporary illusion, driven by hormones and evolutionary impulses that are intended to ensure the survival of the human species.
According to this perspective, the intense feelings of attraction and affection that we experience in romantic relationships are simply a way to motivate individuals to find a suitable partner and reproduce. This theory suggests that once the goal of procreation is achieved, the intense feelings of romantic love fade away, and the relationship becomes less passionate and more practical.
However, on the other hand, many experts argue that romantic love is not just a temporary illusion but a genuine and enduring emotion that can last a lifetime.
According to this perspective, romantic love is not just about procreation but about the emotional and psychological connection that develops between two individuals. This connection is based on shared values, interests, and experiences and is characterized by feelings of trust, intimacy, and commitment.
Furthermore, it’s important to note that procreation is not the only goal of romantic love, as not all relationships lead to procreation and not all individuals want to have children. Romantic love is not just limited to the sexual aspect, but it is also emotional and psychological. Love can also be platonic and it can also be self-love, which means that it doesn’t have to be related to procreation.
Additionally, research has shown that romantic love is not just a temporary illusion but a complex and dynamic process that involves several different stages, including attraction, infatuation, attachment, and commitment.
These stages are characterized by different emotions and behaviors and can last for different periods of time. Thus, it can be argued that romantic love is not just a temporary illusion, but a complex and ever-evolving process that can last a lifetime.
It’s also important to consider the cultural and societal factors that influence romantic relationships. The idea of romantic love as a temporary illusion may stem from certain cultural beliefs or societal norms that devalue the importance of long-term relationships. In contrast, other cultures and societies place a greater emphasis on the importance of long-term relationships, and romantic love is viewed as a valuable and enduring bond.
In conclusion, whether romantic love is a temporary illusion or a primary directive for the procreation of the human species is a complex and multi-faceted question with valid arguments on both sides. While it is true that romantic love can be influenced by evolutionary impulses and hormones, it is also a genuine and enduring emotion that can last a lifetime. It’s important to understand that romantic love is not just limited to the sexual aspect, but it is also emotional and psychological. Additionally, the cultural and societal factors play a big role in shaping our understanding of romantic love.
The idea that romantic love is a stage that eventually morphs into a deeper, more enduring form of love is a popular one, and is supported by research in the fields of psychology and sociology.
According to this perspective, romantic love is a beginning phase that is characterized by intense feelings of attraction and infatuation, but which, over time, evolves into a more stable and enduring form of love that is based on mutual trust, respect, and companionship.
One of the key theories on the evolution of romantic love is the triangular theory of love, developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg. This theory proposes that romantic love is composed of three key components: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Passion refers to the intense feelings of attraction and infatuation that are common in the early stages of a romantic relationship. Intimacy refers to the emotional and psychological connection that develops between two individuals, and commitment refers to the decision to maintain a long-term relationship. According to Sternberg, these three components interact and evolve over time, leading to different forms of love, such as consummate love, which is characterized by all three components, and companionate love, which is characterized by intimacy and commitment but not passion.
Another theory that supports the idea that romantic love evolves over time is the attachment theory developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. This theory proposes that romantic love is based on the attachment bond that develops between two individuals, and that this bond can take different forms, such as secure attachment and insecure attachment. Secure attachment is characterized by feelings of trust, intimacy, and commitment, and is associated with long-term, stable relationships. Insecure attachment, on the other hand, is characterized by feelings of anxiety and insecurity, and is associated with less stable, shorter-term relationships.
Research has also shown that the nature of romantic love changes over time, becoming less focused on physical attraction and more focused on emotional and psychological intimacy. For example, a study published in the journal “Social Psychology and Personality Science” found that as couples move from the early stages of a romantic relationship to more long-term relationships, they tend to place less emphasis on physical attractiveness and more emphasis on personality traits like kindness and intelligence.
In addition to the psychological theories, cultural and societal factors also play a role in shaping how romantic love evolves. Different cultures and societies have different expectations and norms for romantic relationships, and these can influence how romantic love is experienced and expressed.
For example, in some cultures, the emphasis is on the importance of long-term commitment and companionship, while in other cultures, the emphasis is on the importance of passion and infatuation.
In conclusion, the idea that romantic love is a stage that eventually morphs into a deeper, more enduring form of love is supported by research in the fields of psychology and sociology. Theories such as the triangular theory of love and the attachment theory propose that romantic love is composed of different components that interact and evolve over time, leading to different forms of love. Additionally, research has also shown that romantic love changes over time, becoming less focused on physical attraction and more focused on emotional and psychological intimacy. Cultural and societal factors also play a role in shaping how romantic love evolves. It’s important to keep in mind that every individual and every relationship is unique, and the way in which romantic love evolves is different for everyone.”
In analysing AI’s answer to my question, ‘Is romantic love a temporary illusion?’ I see similar traits in AI being revealed, as when I asked about the existence of God. AI comes down on the human side of what is, rather than making an evaluation on what is driving human behaviour as being more fundamental to the truth in answering my question. Perhaps, I should have been clearer in the wording of my question. Perhaps, I should have asked, ‘What is the driving force underpinning romantic love in human beings?’ ‘Is it the evolutionary biological imperative?’
There have been few musicals about Charles Darwin. The title of the show could be, “Charles Darwin: Much More Time Than You Think!”
RSH
Darwin was at the forefront of the popular battle between a divine conception of things and the newly emerging ‘deep time’ scientific view. The made up Christian Bible conception of life was anthropocentric and ridiculously short term in its purview. Popularism rarely offers humanity any hard fought wisdom. The anti-woke trend among the dominant cohort of white men is a keen example of this. Darwin had to break with his class and social standing to bravely follow his scientific nose in the formulation of the evolutionary ideas underpinning his resulting book The Origin of the Species.
People thought themselves superior to all other life on earth and divinely inspired. Made in the image of God, when in reality their God was made up by them or others just like them a couple of millennia ago.
Time is the crux of things here, however, a couple of thousand years ago is just a sneeze in the greater temporal context. Life has been around for hundreds of millions of years, billions of years in fact. We cannot have any real conception of such deep time scales. It is no wonder that the human creators of religious texts could not fathom such expanses of time when making up their origin stories.
Most folk are content to just get on with their lives by falling in love and having a family. Romantic love is the highlight of the story, often, coming somewhere near the beginning of adulthood. The traditional life span accords the heady peaks of courting and honeymoon, as a celebratory period. Of course, this is because young lovers are well placed to make healthy children and procreate the species. Life happens on multiple levels of understanding, as it all depends upon the perspective of the viewer. We spend our allotted time on earth, as do other animals and life forms. The more mysterious moments are those endings and beginnings. Death and birth. Humankind endlessly wonders about these portals in and out of life, as we know it. Ah, this will be the foundation of my next question to pose to AI.
Robert Sudha Hamilton
©House Therapy