Can summer love last forever?
On vacation, we are much more relaxed and get out of our daily routine
Chances are high that you once had a summer romance, or that you know someone who came back from the vacation full of impressions and also fell in love.
It is completely normal for this to happen because summer is the period when we meet new people. During a vacation or any trip, it is logical that you will meet many of them. Also, during that period we are much more relaxed. When there is not so much tension, the inhibitions that exist in everyday life are reduced, and the chance of entering into a relationship increases. On vacation, we are also more relaxed and wear less clothing. In fact, we get out of our daily routine for a little while.
Evolutionary biologists would say that all of the above are behaviors that increase reproductive success, which, according to them, is the ultimate goal of partner relationships. However, we are not quite sure that this is the case. Partner relationships are quite complex and we cannot reduce them to the mere satisfaction of evolutionary motives for offspring. The fact that, after the "evolutionarily encouraged" initial passion of summer romance, partners often remain disappointed, speaks in favor of this.
Sometimes men and sometimes women simply expect more, or vice versa - they say they thought they were in love, but it was actually just a delusion. For summer romances, instant passion or erotic attraction is typical, and this is quite enough for the appearance of infatuation, however, it is not enough for the development of what these researchers called full love.
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In addition to passion, supporters of this theory say that complete love also requires closeness and loyalty. Closeness refers to a feeling of intimacy and connection with a partner. Loyalty consists of two decisions: the short-term decision to love your partner and the long-term decision to preserve that love and stay with your partner. When these three things (passion, loyalty, and closeness) are in balance, we are talking about complete love.
Summer love can really start out as romances based on passion. However, if the initial erotic charge does not grow into a desire for further acquaintance and the development of closeness and loyalty, they can end. In other cases, summer love could be a prelude to a more mature and fuller kind of love.
Post by: Rinna James
