I discuss a commonly used dating model and show that it is highly prone to failure. The only sensible alternative seems to be the age-old belief in an unexpected “romantic” encounter.
The idea of “romance” is ubiquitous in modern culture. Books, movies, and everyday conversations routinely tell us that there is one person that we are destined to be with, yet this person may turn out to be the complete opposite of what we imagine as our soul mate, and little can be done to increase the likelihood of meeting this person – it may happen anytime and anywhere…
… or not happen. Indeed, the “romantic” assumption looks quite unrealistic and we are frequently following a very different model of choosing a partner, which is described below. 