Chap 11: What dating is really like...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/what-dating-is-like-when-youre-in-your-20s-as-told-by-tv
After reading this list on "What dating is like when you're in your 20's as told by TV" I literally could not stop laughing- partially because some of it was downright ridiculous, but also because some of it was actually quite easy to relate to! (Yes one of my friends has already gotten to "Stage 4: I prefer animals over people" and pledged to become a single cat lady forever alone- we're still working on helping her work past that stage but in the meantime as her best friends we're all in agreeing to her pact to be future cat ladies together). But in reality, I feel that romantic relationships can be quite difficult to manage because they involve both emotional romantic feelings as well as the physical commitments and long term familial commitments if it does rise to that.  In addition, though people may have to move away from their families or friends at different points of life, it is generally perceived that your romantic partner should still stay with you and be connected in the sense that you two are the beginning of a new nuclear family now.  Because of society's expectations and the innate human need for social interaction and connection with at least one other human being (look at Tom Hank friendship with "Wilson" in the movie Castaway as a reference), romantic relationships can develop into very important permanent relationships in our lives! So in this sense, although I often wonder why so many songs are always about love and every movie character is always falling in love, when you phrase it in the term of a lifelong partner that you'll have to wake up to everyday to, it's actually a very important decision to make so I can understand why everyone stresses out about romantic relationships so much. Although I haven't yet engaged in a romantic relationship I do have a lot of opinions and speculations about how romantic relationships function and I really agree with the cost benefits analysis  in the social benefits theory that the book also discusses in terms of rules of attraction.  If there is no equity in the relationship or it is skewed so that one partner has more benefits than another or one partner is putting in more effort (cost) than the other, I believe that the relationship cannot last because the disadvantaged partner would feel slightly annoyed at first, but then slowly small nuances and costs on his/her part would build up to cause them to feel overly disgruntled with the state of the food and the fact that the other partner is not acknowledging his/her equality in the relationship.  However,  I do also think that if the couple is able to employ open, confirming communication methods and each partner engages in dual perspective to realize and understand what the other is going through, the relationship can still possibly be saved-- and not only saved, but also it will allow the couple to grow from that conflict and further strengthen their bond together. However, constant arguments and conflicts can be tiring so I do believe if I do engage in a romantic relationship sometime soon, I will probably follow the "Birds-of-feather" effect and "Matching" effect because I always feel most comfortable and less belligerent with people whom I have some similarities with or whom are at a similar level of physical attractiveness.