"Romance is the best thing"

[Rinpochard]

I really don't understand why romantic love and relationships are put on a pedestal, and thought of as something you have to want and pursue.

I'm 100% fine being single, so why am I expected to get into a relationship if it's something I clearly don't want? What would my family gain from me dating someone anyway (they keep asking me about it)? I guess it's some very outdated thing about how romance makes you super happy or whatever, and society's expectations. At the same time my family assumes that I'm going to be miserable if I stay single forever, when in reality, it's the other way around. Yeah, having friends and a good job, pursuing things I like, living in a lovely area with pets, and exploring the world definitely sounds miserable to me just because there's no romance or marriage. How tragic, am I right? It's almost like being single gives me more freedom.

[Spoodz]

The fact society puts so much pressure on you having to be in a relationship is what made me start going out of my way to try to get a gf and being sad when I couldn’t or when they didn’t like me too, because I thought having a gf/bf was just something I NEEDED rather than something I actually wanted 

Edited August 18 by Spoodz
Spelling mistake

[Holmbo]

Amatonormativity

[Kristoph]

First, it's amatonormativity.

Second, it could have something to do with arranged marriages. Now that thing isn't this popular (though it still happens in some countries, afaik) and people are free to form relationships on their own, what could lead to the situation we can observe now. Some religions could have influence on it, too. It's at least what I think.