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Chapter 9 - Passionate Love

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 December 2018

Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Karin Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

Passionate love is a universal emotion (Jankowiak, 1995). Yet despite its universality, culture has a profound impact on people’s definitions of love, and on the way they think, feel, and behave in romantic settings. Cross-cultural studies provide a glimpse into the complex world of emotion and allow us to gain an understanding of the extent to which people’s emotional lives are written in their cultural and personal histories, as well as their evolutionary history, and in the interaction of the two (Tooby & Cosmides, 1992).

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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