h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...being male I can only have a few.

Liked this article.

- Not sure that there is a significant difference between men and women in this area, outside social expectations, (and possibly a tendancy of guys to separately compartmentalise romantic love and rabbit like behaviour).

- in terms of duration, I have read research which pointed to 7 years as more usual , but also stated in some instances it clearly lasts longer, (Charles and Camilla would be an obvious recent e.g., but the article used Charles and (Emma?) Darwin). Now you're going to ask me where I read this...damn...

I am going to rewrite some of it, Kitboyes, and I will try to make the distinction clearer between long-term-love and bing-in-love. Both exist of course, but what I am saying is that the myth can get in the way of making long-term-love work, because of the assumptions it brings with it that long-term-love will be easy-peasy because you are with The One.

It's a subjective piece. I don't think that men expect The One to be out there in quite the same way, though they can certainly conclude they have found her during the being-in-love phase.

I remember talking to a man about his up-coming wedding, and he said 'well I am only going through with it because she wants the whole big white wedding thing, we can always get a divorce if it doesn't work out'. The cynicism of that took my breath away. I still consider it cynical, but it is also practical, I guess.

Do men really believe that The One is out there somewhere?

Ben

I dunno, I think beliefs are varied. (Actually there was an article in this morning's paper about Psychiatrists trying to classify love within something like DSM IV catergories, and came up with 13 sorts) but my personal view is that there might over time be more than one. Kind a hope so anyway...

don't let me detract from a good article about a really important topic

Very thought provoking,Ben.
I enjoyed it. It does seem to come from a subjective view point, but it doesn't make it less of a good entry.
It made me think of the episode in 'The Simpsons' where Homer discovers Marge IS his soulmate, even though she doesn't understand him ALL the time.

Thank you elly. It's a rant, really, and you are absolutely right, it is subjectie, but so are all opinions. Objective opinions aren't opinions, they are facts.

Thanks for reading and thanks for commenting.

Ben