Does romantic love exist in every culture or is it a western concept?

Question

Does romantic love exist in every culture or is it a western concept?

Answer 1

I don't think romantic love exists in every culture though it does happen on an individual basis in every culture.

Even cultures & religions that have a thousand years of tradition of pre-arranged marriages always encounter the problem of romantic love sometimes (the royal princess falling in love with the lowly garbage boy and that sort of thing).

Answer 2

it is definately universal. For example, all the Greek songs are about love and they are very mushy, unlike American music. It just may not appear in other countries because they have display rules. For instance, in Asian cultures, they still have romantic love but they are just not allowed to display it in public...

Answer 3

Good question.  I'm going to star this because I want to see some answers from the middle easterners that constantly ask about whether parents should arrange marriages.  Sorry, I don't have an input.  I'm truly a romantic living in a western culture.

Answer 4

yes it is a unversal urge that exist, the craving to be with the other person no matter what the risks

Answer 5

i think it  exists but gets repressed in some cultures.

Answer 6

It is not a western concept but a drawing together of a man and a woman.

From the far off tribes of Africa to the green land of Ireland, to Chile to Australia, wherever, it is simply an attraction to a certain one.

Romantic love is nothing more than the mind thinking of obeying the feelings of love to merge with the special one who caused those hormones to charge.

Western civilization just gave romantic love a bouquet of flowers and a box of candy.

Answer 7

as far as I know, every culture in the world has some tale about love... I feel sad for the culture that does not have love.

depends also on what you consider to be the west and your definition of "romantic love"... lol  to me, Japan is further west than California, but they deem themselves the "Far East".  And their culture has been around far longer than America.  There's bound to be stories of love in their culture, and in many others... the nature of the romance differs from culture to culture, but the outcome is always the same - the man and woman come to love each other and live happily ever after or die trying.

Answer 8

Yes it does, no it isn't western.

Pre-western, pre-modern, pre-yahoo.

Answer 9

Many countries have the most beautiful love poetry -Persian love songs are famous.  Indian love poetry is well known too.  Then there's the drawing of the runaway lovers in the Chinese Willow Pattern that proves something very similar to falling in love happened there.

Answer 10

Affection for another definitely exists in every culture but the Western standard that sets is as being 'romantic' or not ,does not work in other cultures. Western  concepts of romance sabotage real love because people come to expect that level of gift-giving and phone calls and flowers when it is not standard.

Answer 11

Its in all cultures. It can be at first sight, after a year of marriage or even with someone who does not reciprocate. Its what you feel and that can never be repressed.

You have a better chance of meeting a compatible spouse through an arranged marriage than through trolling the bars and malls. But I must admit that online dating has an even higher chance.

Answer 12

Love is not based on culture. The way its potrayed can be varied. Romance could be as simple as an eye contact, but the fact two people, both have feelings for each other and trying to express is romantic.

Answer 13

There are school kid "crushes" and puppy love. There is a thing called lust, often mistaken for love, and there is romantic love where emotions rather than s*x play the biggest part in the relationship, and then there is real love based on common interests, etc. not lust. Real love grows over time as bonding and mutual respect occurs. Most of the time however (and sadly) young people get married out of lust, not love, and when the lust wears off - they find out that they are not happy with the person they married.

Romantic love exists in every culture, although in alot of cultures it is not discussed or mentioned. Romantic love can be an unspoken relationship and a longing/desire between a teacher/pupil, a priest/parishoner, a shopkeeper/shopper, etc.  Most of the times, romantic love is never actually acted upon. It is one of those things "if we would have met at a different time and place". If it is acted upon, it usually does not last and stand the test of time.