|
I read the whole thing. My first thought is that it's not possible to reduce complicated human relationships to a simple number. And doing so won't yield the same kind of wisdom as it will in other applications.
Other factors: the longer you're in a relationship, if it's a loving relationship, you build emotional and mental bonds that couple you like nothing else. Your needs adapt to each other, even as you change as people. You build a life together and the intertwining becomes stronger. Your shared experiences become benchmarks. The needs/desires are no longer a single point; they're strung all over the place. It's not just an equation, it's a set of different equations that change every single day.
History: I dunno. But I'd say, when looking at how people were different in the past, there are many factors at work. Some factors are linear through history, such as the introduction of the birth control pill in the 60s. Once that happened, argue some, everything was suddenly different in familial relationships.
But other factors are cyclical, such as the level at which a society values children. These factors are huge, but happen at such a slow pace that we can't even see the waves that take place.
|