A romantic relationship is not just a mental construct based on a single factor but rather the outcome of multiple elements. It starts with physical attraction and peaks with emotional connection, with cognition acting as a catalyst, alongside sociocultural influences (reinforcement). In this study, three factors—romantic relationships, friendships, and long-term outcomes—were highlighted. Romance involves gestures and activities. Is a romantic relationship synonymous with love? No. Its primary purpose is sexual attraction. Sex is a biological drive that influences human motivation (Tollman & Diamond, Reference Tolman and Diamond2001). Females are more susceptible to fluctuations at different life stages (Levine, Reference Levine2003). Romance evolving into love, compared to a Gandharva marriage (a union based solely on mutual love and consent). A legally recognized live-in relationship, if the couple cohabitates as if married, is a form of Gandharva marriage. Parental and societal approval are merely social constructs. The hypothesis here is only a perceived truth. The models (Figures 1 & 2) developed by the authors may support a hypothesis without multicultural samples. Given the evolving lifestyle trends, all four conclusions of this research require a revisit for broader applicability.

Indians who experience love, engage in romance, and are committed to marriage (if possible) need to be guided by the principles of the soul that ignite love, shaping a life path known as marriage. Romantic life has limited space in reality. The quality of relationships has been explained Stervoa et al. (Reference Štěrbová, Bártová, Nováková, Varella, Havlíček and Valentova2021). The Indian philosophy of married life begins with emotions, feelings, and love. Divorce rates tend to be lower in this context. The divorce rate in India is approximately 1% while in Portugal 94 % (World Statistics 2020). The soul plays a vital role in life, even though it is invisible. Researchers and thinkers have validated this concept (Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, 1813), Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare, 1597), Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Kalidas, 5 CE), Collins, Welsh, and Furman (Reference Collins, Welsh and Furman2009) on romantic relationships and erotic sexual encounters, Shulman, Davila, and Shachar-Shapira (Reference Shulman, Davila and Shachar-Shapira2011), and Furman and Buhrmester (Reference Furman and Buhrmester1992) on how age influences romantic relationships). The negative impacts of romantic relationships, such as violence (Ackard & Neumark-Sztainer, Reference Ackard and Neumark-Sztainer2002; Callahan et al., Reference Callahan, Tolman and Saunders2003; Fernandez & Fuertes, Reference Fernández-Fuertes and Fuertes2010; Viejo, Reference Viejo2014), are also noted. These are a few examples showing mixed findings about romantic life and reality. Further mixed outcomes are discussed in this research (Finkel, Simpson, & Eastwick, Reference Finkel, Simpson and Eastwick2017 Reference Reis, Maniaci and Roggeb; Reis, Reference Reis2021; Reis, Lemay, & Finkenauer, Reference Reis, Lemay and Finkenauer2017 Reference Reis, Lemay and Finkenauera; Clark & Aragon, Reference Clark, Aragón, Simpson and Campbell2013) and many.

The Bhagwat Geeta advocated that love is life and romance is a reality. Why romance? Is it only conjugation or anything else? Maharishi Vatsayayan [thinker and author on Kama (a sensual desire), wrote Kamasutra, defined in terms of purushurarth (the power of humans). Romance is a gateway to Kama (sensual enjoyment). The other purushurarths are Dharm (religion), Artha (wealth), and Moksha (salvation). A complete human being means a balance between all four. This is a universal law of philosophy.

Romantic relationships are a universal truth that can be determined within the limits of value, culture, and ethics. The similar central issues addressed by researchers Roakach (Reference Roakach2024) and Yamin (Reference Yamin2023). The title of this research, “Romantic Relationships Matter More to Men than to Women,” needed a revisit. Desire, appreciation, commitment, and trust are the key notions of romantic relationships. Realizations of honor should be between men and women when they recognize romance in their hearts. Calculation of benefits may come at the point of breakup or silent detachment. Heartbreaking events are not possible in terms of mathematics, but the degree of emotional trauma in either one or both depends on the involvement visualized in life. Can it be a mathematics of benefit? All psychological variables are scaled by nominal, ordinal, and interval scales. Aftermath depends on the only ratio scale. We may assume that stress is equivalent to benefit or loss, which is ignored in the ratio scale. Pareto equilibrium may help quantify a romantic relationship, where harm to others would be either minimal or zero, but either one may trigger severe. Clarissa Perry (Reference Clarissa2024)’s book “The Benefit of Taking a Romantic Relationship Assessment” has pointed out the positive reinforcement in the companionships. Positive reinforcement is only a feeling in this regard, not in material terms.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS) of Hans Selye’s law may be suitable to generalize the impacts of romantic life and comparison. The action process is similar between a physical instrument and the elasticity of mental adaptation. The phases of mind sparking are generalized into three vertical stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Meditation and Yoga may heal mental damage. The subconscious mind of individuals is the power of all shortcuts to negative things, such as jealousy, anger, and hatred. High dominance is a high-stress load that leads to mental pressure. Loading of mental pressure and failure to manage may assume a degree of benefit/ loss, but not in terms of quantity.

Universal statements are not feasible. One assumption that required re-examination is the devotion of time during the transition from friendship to romance, the mental investment in trust, and the feeling of love, all of which should be free of selfish motives. The aftermath is impossible without this. Three factors would negate this condition: time, money, and emotional attachment to a life settlement during the romantic relationship period. Social desirability factors can sometimes serve as a distorted reflection, but as social scenarios change, youth are disregarding them while forging their paths in life. Live-in relationships exemplify this, where the meaning of life is a commercial product, engaged solely in the concepts of usage and disposal, with parenting being of little concern. Sharing and caring dominate without any future security or objectives. Such forms of romance are legally recognized worldwide; however, personal and social losses can be significant in the end. Vigilance and awareness are essential for such relationships.

In conclusion, friendships and romantic relationships are always good conditions for commitment, and trust must be high. The aftermath is like “something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” a comment on the reality of life, thinks Shakespeare in Hamlet.