(This focuses on romantic love with someone you might have sex with.)
Looking at the world from an evolutionary/natural selection basis, life exists to reproduce. If it can live through the process, that's fine. Particularly if it is needed to nurture the offspring to the point where they can reproduce. But if that isn't necessary, it's just fine with evolution if you drop dead immediately after producing a litter. Evolution couldn't care less about you. If you're a miserable, tired, pain-riddled wreck -- but you reproduce -- evolution considers you a success!
Marriages are often unhappy, many result in divorce. Comedians and cultural programs often highlight the insanity of love. It drives people crazy. They are sad because they lack it, then sad because they fear losing it, or mourn the loss of it. They are ecstatic when it first hits, then they marry (and produce offspring) and it begins to die. Hence the various magazines screaming "Spice up your marriage" from every other headline.
Love is portrayed as the ultimate experience. "It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." But is it really all that? Or have we been hardwired by the uncaring forces of natural selection to just THINK it's all that? And is there a difference?
I've programmed my brain to like it when I smoke. I don't really "want" to smoke. I cough, I clear my throat alot. I look stupid standing around doing something that obviously isn't good for me. I cough when I do it, for goodness sake. How much clearer does it need to be?
And yet I do it. It isn't good for me, I don't "want" it, and yet I very much *do* want it. Is love like that?
Any thoughts?
Dave