Do u believe that humans desire to be loved and to love,, and it is society that demands marriage....
Do you have to be legally married to be married or can u truly be married in your heart?
2006-09-30 11:05:31 · 9 answers · asked by coopchic 5 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
Marriage is the social recognition of what has been described in the literature as "pair-bonding."
I attended a lecture by Helen Fisher, who investigates (among other things) the evolution of love and human sexuality and all the brain chemistry that goes along with that.
She breaks love down into 3 components: sex drive, attraction and attachment. Each spring from a different area of the brain and is associated with a different neurotransmitter. You can read one of her books if you want the details.
Marriage exists because we are socially complex creatures. In fact, we are so generalized in our bodies that social and cultural adaptation is the only thing we manage well, thanks to our huge oversized brains.
When you fall in love and are with the one you love, apparently it mirrors the chemical effects that cocain and meth have on the brain. It is essentially an addiction to the other person-- and this keeps our relationships relatively stable.
We use marriage to formalize this-- when sex drive falls off and even attraction might start to sputter, there is still attachment that holds us together, and marriage is how we validate this. It is a vow that keeps us together until one of those chemicals kicks back in. It socially reinforces the bonds we create, long enough to (hopefully) raise any kids to the point where they can support themselves.
You can ONLY be truly married legally, because it is a social contract, one that both you and society are supposed to honor. Society gives you priveledges, says "OK, we'll acknowledge you belong to one another and we won't interfere with your relationship." You agree to be stable in your relationship so you don't cause more bureaucratic headaches.
Anyway, the biochemical aspect of that came from Helen Fisher. Owen Lovejoy has also done some neat things with tying the whole love/marriage (Ok-- pair-bonding) into true bipedalism. Neither one is universally accepted, and no one has been able to satisfy every critic. But I don't think anyone in anthropology has been able to do that on any issue.
2006-09-30 20:43:16 · answer #1 · answered by almethod2004 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Marriage is the glue that keeps commitment alive during the times when love takes a dive. Most people have a hard time keeping the commitment without the legal constraints, and even with the legal structure people often seem to try to get around the fact of marriage when they cheat on their spouse. But, when that happens, the framework of legally sanctioned marriage is supposed to work it out in favor of the wronged party-at least that is how things are supposed to work. Society is expected to impose a comprehensible structure for the good of all. It imposes a level playing field.
2006-09-30 20:24:55 · answer #2 · answered by krisjb1 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Men needed marriage so that they could control women, especially in terms of knowing who there own children were, after all a woman always knows that the child she gives birth to is hers, whereas a man could not be 100% certain until recently through dna testing.
I think the implications of this massive change means that couples will get together and stay together for love and on equal terms more often than previously when men were more apt to have secret lovers hidden from the mothers of their children.
And yes I'm sure love does not necessarily need marriage.
Every human needs love, indeed there is evidence that babies deprived of love can die for that reason alone.
2006-09-30 18:29:22 · answer #3 · answered by pol 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are different societies and not all of them have the same kinf of marriage practices. It seems that what is most important is not necessarily the legal document, but the cultural practice. Yes you can be married in your heart.
2006-09-30 18:14:37 · answer #4 · answered by Zelda Hunter 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Society does not DEMAND marriage. Marriage was an institution created by God. Sure you can love someone and not be married. But are you really committed to that person?
2006-09-30 18:21:30 · answer #5 · answered by Stiletto ♥ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do you not want the legal protections afforded by marriage? Of course, many do forgo them, but some, especially women, to their sorrow.
2006-09-30 22:07:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
girl, don't you want benefits.
2006-09-30 18:07:49 · answer #7 · answered by AUDREY H 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes..
2006-09-30 18:12:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
REPORT YOU
2006-09-30 18:20:48 · answer #9 · answered by SWM 38 _4_ YOUNG GF 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋