Choice

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Depictions of romantic love are often found in art, movies, literature, poetry, music, and other media, but they rarely detail the everyday interpersonal communication that makes successful relationships work.

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

We enter into romantic relationships through choice, selecting not only with whom we initiate involvements but also whether and how we maintain these bonds. Thus, contrary to widespread belief, love doesn’t “strike us out of the blue” or “sweep us away.” Choice plays a role even in arranged marriages: the spouses’ families and social networks select an appropriate partner, and in many cases the betrothed retain at least some control over whether the choice is acceptable (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1992).