Posted September 22, Reviewed by Chloe Williams. Before I die I wanna taste everyone in the world. But I think about other guys all the time. The value of enduring, profound love is obvious. However, recent studies imply that superficial romantic encounters are equally important. One study has argued that variety, spontaneity and a change of perspective are crucial in enriching our lives, essential for living a good life. A second study suggests that superficial contact with strangers increases our well-being.
And a third study has found that people view their casual sexual encounters more positively than negatively. Do these studies imply the advantage of casual sex over enduring love? For a detailed discussion see also Ben-Ze'ev, Casual sex and profound love fall on opposite sides of the romantic spectrum, and both come in many different flavors.
Casual sex is high in romantic intensity, while enduring love often involves romantic profundity. Romantic intensity is a snapshot of a momentary peak of passionate, often sexual, desire. Romantic profundity goes beyond mere romantic intensity, where a deeper and longer-term relationship develops.
External change is highly significant in generating romantic intensity; in order to develop romantic depth, familiarity, stability and development are tremendously important.
While novelty is useful in staving off boredom , familiarity is essential for a romantic relationship to flourish. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself. Happiness and meaningfulness are frequently discussed when characterizing a good life. Shgehiro Oishi and Erin Westgate persuasively suggest the addition of another dimension: richness. Oishi and Westgate claim that whereas a happy life is characterized by comfort, joy, and stability, and a meaningful life by purpose, significance, and coherence, a psychologically rich life is portrayed by variety, interesting experiences, and change in perspective.
