Romantic love. A human universal and possible honest signal

Abstract

Some forms of love have the ability to transform perfectly normal people into seemingly powerless victims. The tragic example of one of the richest women in Germany whose love to a professional gigolo has profoundly unsettled her life reminds us of the powerful mechanisms bringing about what is rightly termed “falling in love”. Most representatives of the arts and humanities are convinced that such “romantic love” can only be felt by members of modern societies and historically only came about to be a specific mind‐set when modernity started. If contemporary citizens would be asked in the street, whether a woman or man in traditional society could and would experience the kind of special states of mind and soul connected to falling and being in love, many would probably intuitively say: “That may well be possible. Why should they be so different from us in such essential aspect?” When one talks to academic colleagues, the situation is, however, different. The authoritative view of some of the great scholars of sociology and related disciplines has created the firm conviction: “Romantic love is specific for our kind of modern”, and many would add: “occidental, society”. In this essay, this concept of cultural specificity is challenged and examples from written and oral literature are presented, as well as findings of crosscultural evolutionary biology which, altogether, render this sociological concept obsolete. To conclude, romantic love has to be regarded a human universal phenomenon and may serve as honest signal of one's deep emotional involvement, thus influencing mate‐choice.

A WINDOW INTO PAPUA’S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL STATUS QUO IN THE STAR MOUNTAINS [Melihat Masa Lalu Papua : Penelitian Arkeologi dan Antropologi di Pegunungan Bintang]

“…Eipo and Mek dancing is, choreographically and symbolically, very different for men and women. Needless to say, there is a lot of good-spirited companionship between women and men, a lot of laughter, good cooperation in the daily garden work as well as passionate and often romantic love (Schiefenhovel, 2009). Physical contact, let alone erotic advances, between the sexes were strictly taboo in public; this is also a typical element of Papuan traditions in Melanesia (Schiefenhovel, 2001).…”

Attention and Working Memory Training: The Effect of Reha Com Software on Cognitive Skills in a Non-Clinical Sample

“…Working memory (WM) and attention are important cognitive processes which are implicated in a range of everyday activities, such as planning, problem-solving, learning, driving and engaging in social interactions [1,2] Wood (1990). While attention and WM are often studied individually, there is evidence to suggest that the processes are closely linked and facilitate the successful performance of common cognitive tasks [3,4].…”

The Myth of the Philandering Man and the Crafty Woman

“…Homo sapiens are truly a different species, exhibiting a set of special traits not shared with any other animal species. In particular, many scholars support the view that one of the most conspicuous traits of our own species is the mating system, which is characterized by romantic falling in love [1,2] a mutual choice of partner [3] and a long-term pair-bond relationship [4], usually extended far beyond the weaning stage, frequently lasting past the offspring's puberty. Globally, this reproductive behaviour has no parallel.…”