Cultural psychologists argue that passionate love is largely a Western phenomenon. In the West, marriage is seen as the culmination of a loving relationship. In cultures where arranged marriages occur, the relationship between love and marriage is the other way around.

Levine et al. (1995) found that individualistic countries were more likely to rate love as essential for marriage and to agree that the disappearance of love is a sufficient reason to end a marriage.  Dion & Dion (1993) have noted that in traditional societies, marriage is often seen as more than just the union of two individuals; it is held to be a union and alliance between two families. Whereas Americans tend to view marriage as a lifetime companionship between two individuals in love, people of many other cultures view marriage more as a partnership formed in order to have children and for economic and social support.

Study 1: Gupta and Singh

Aim

• To compare how arranged and love marriages score on Rubin’s scales of liking and loving over varying lengths of marriage.

Participants

• 50 married student couples from the University of Rajasthan, India
  • 25 in love marriages
  • 25 in arranged marriages
• Marriage duration ranged from under 1 year up to 20 years

Materials & Procedure

1. Measurement tool: Rubin’s Liking-Loving Scale (maximum score 91)
   • Liking/Attachment: Need to be cared for by the partner
   • Caring: Valuing the partner’s happiness and needs equally with one’s own
   • Intimacy: Sharing private thoughts, feelings, and desires
2. Data collection:
   • Each spouse completed the scale independently
   • Scores were recorded and averaged for each group, stratified by marriage duration (<1 year, 1–10 years, >10 years)

Results

• Trend: Love marriages start with higher initial scores but decline over time.
• Contrast: Arranged marriages begin with lower scores yet improve or remain more stable long-term.

Conclusion

• While love marriages exhibit strong early liking and loving, these feelings tend to wane over time.
• Arranged marriages may develop deeper or more enduring affection as the relationship progresses, ultimately outperforming love marriages in long-term Rubin scale scores.

Gupta & Singh's (1982) study highlights the impact of cultural context on marriage dynamics. The findings suggest that arranged marriages in India, which align with collectivist values, show increasing or stable love over time. In contrast, love marriages, which mirror more individualistic Western ideals, begin with strong affection but decline over time. This supports the idea that in individualistic cultures (like the West), passionate love is central to marriage, and its absence is a valid reason for divorce. In collectivist cultures, marriage is more about family unions and stability, with love developing or enduring as a result of this commitment.