([Love] Utilizing academic theoretical frameworks: social exchange theory, hierarchy of needs theory, triangular theory of love, family systems theory, etc., to discuss love and marriage in a professional, authoritative, and logical manner. Organically combining traditional wisdom with modern psychological theories to form an academic dialogue from a cross-cultural perspective.)
[Love] Examining romantic relationships from the perspective of social exchange theory, we find that partner selection is essentially a resource matching process. The exchange theory proposed by sociologist Homans reveals that stable intimate relationships are built on the dynamic balance of resource supply and demand from both parties. Just as in business partnerships, partners of equal standing can form a collaborative system, significantly enhancing relationship stability compared to mismatched resource combinations (Blau, 1964).
[Love] Economic capital, as a fundamental resource, directly affects the quality of relationships based on its level of matching. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, when individuals are still in the survival needs stage (such as those who are not financially independent), their intimate relationships inevitably present a demand-oriented interaction pattern (Maslow, 1943). This one-way flow of resources in relationship structures is inherently contradictory to the commitment element in Sternberg's triangular theory of love. Empirical research shows that couples with an economic status difference exceeding three times have a divorce risk 2.7 times that of economically matched couples (Schneider, 2011).
[Love] Human capital matching also follows the 'homogeneous marriage' principle. Educational level, as a manifest indicator of cognitive capital, directly impacts communication efficiency and growth synchrony between partners. Sociologist Oppenheimer's theory of delayed marriage points out that higher education groups are more inclined to choose partners with similar educational backgrounds, as this can construct a 'cognitive collaborative body' and achieve family resource appreciation through knowledge capital sharing. Tracking studies show that couples with matching educational backgrounds have a joint decision-making efficiency 43% higher than mismatched groups (Smits, 2003).
[Love] The essence of a healthy intimate relationship is the continuous practice of 'reciprocal altruism.' Bowen's family systems theory emphasizes that mature partners should possess emotional object permanence, capable of establishing a 'we versus the problem' alliance. This is akin to the logic of 'positive-sum game' in business strategic alliances—responding to external challenges through resource integration rather than falling into the internal depletion of zero-sum games. Positive psychology research confirms that mutually supportive couples have a stress-buffering capacity 5.2 times greater than demand-oriented relationships (Gable, 2006).
[Love] This type of relationship constructs wisdom, distilled into the Eastern marriage philosophy of 'well-matched' in intergenerational transmission. Modern marriage and family therapy deconstructs it into a three-dimensional matching model: the equivalence of economic capital, the compatibility of cultural capital, and the complementarity of psychological capital. When these three dimensions form a dynamic balance, the partner system can produce a synergy effect of 1+1>2, which is the core code of a lasting intimate relationship (Gottman, 2015).