Yes. Romance is another. The pursuit of wealth and pleasure as primary is another. There are many examples. But religion is certainly the most enduring and pervasive of them.

@mordant While romance can exist , it's very sad that some make absolutely no attempt to romance one another . Relationships work best , when people make a point of making one another feel good about themselves .

@Cast1es I am not against being romantic toward a partner and otherwise helping them to feel good about their best selves, but the romantic tradition rooted in 11th century "courtly love" objectifies women and causes men to project qualities upon them that they cannot live up to. It also elevates yearning as virtuous and consummation of yearning as sinful, and so has ruined sexuality for centuries.

That sense of "romance" basically promotes the "madonna or whore" false dichotomy on women and that's decidedly not evoking good feelings for anyone.

@mordant Your first phrase made sense . But went south at the but . No one is discussing 11th century romance , except you . We're talking about today's dating/relationships . In my experience , men seem to think once they sign on the dotted line , they don't have to contribute anything positive to the relationship anymore . He comes home from work , sits on the couch and waits to be served . She comes home from work and ,according to the census reports , puts in another four hours of work at home , before she can drop into bed . Then he complains , she's not passionate anymore , she's lost all desire for him . Truth is , she's exhausted . He' so arrogant he thinks he's helped by complaining about everything she does , but can't get his ass up to help with any of the chores .

@Cast1es Our current ideas of romance and what constitutes "romantic" are rooted in the 11th century. That's all I'm pointing out. I agree with everything else you wrote. Housework, kids, and the vicissitudes of life are all buzz kills, even when equally shared ... it is a lot of work to keep the relationship vital. Part of that is just reality ... part of it is unrealistic expectations coming from religious and romantic ideation though.