By Esther Bridget Nakalya
Harriet’s family discouraged her from marrying a church leader whom they thought would never have enough money to take care of her and their children. With Edward also being told not to marry her for various reasons, the couple had to choose between their relationship and the naysayers.
Research shows that after the blissful intoxication of falling in love, most people come off the high within two years of starting the relationship, at which point their happiness levels return to about where they were beforehand.
Psychologists refer to this ability to adapt to the things that bring us happiness and to, therefore, eventually enjoy them less, as “hedonic adaptation.” So, the very adaptive ability that makes us a dynamic species capable of reacting to change also robs us of perma-infatuation.
But this is not necessarily a bad thing; as Jane Brody wrote for the New York Times, the transition from pure passion to partnership is a completely necessary and healthy function of growing together. Click to read more…
