Cultural perspectives on romantic love

Culture-related dimensions contribute to a more complete understanding of romantic love. In particular we suggest that the dimensions of individualism and collectivism, at both societal and psychological levels, offer insights into the nature of romantic love and its perceived importance for marriage. Changes in values pertaining to romantic love and its role in choosing a spouse are evident in several traditionally collectivistic societies and among persons from these societies emigrating to countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United States. Given these trends, we discuss the need to study individualism and collectivism at the psychological level and present findings from our own program of research.