Seriously, Is There Any Hope for Love? – Video Panel for YourTango

We want to feel wanted, to feel accepted. We want to feel loved. This is a basic human instinct fueled by our fundamental drive to connect with others. Forming relationships is how we satisfy this basic human need.  We simply can’t help it. We are relational beings. But with the divorce rate steady at 50%, is there hope for love? I was pleased to participate in this video panel “Seriously, Is There Any Hope for Love?” with fellow YourTango relationship experts on the state and future of love. Our take? We all agree there is indeed hope. While we may sometimes stumble, we will always keep trying for love. As relational beings, it is built into our DNA.

According to recent divorce statistics, the divorce rate has been going strong at fifty percent for years. With numbers like that to look forward, it makes it hard to be optimistic about relationships. Even though there’s so much love to go around, we can’t understand why it keeps on rising and whether the number of couples calling it quits will ever go down.

What does this mean for love? Honestly, is there any hope?

When Human Researcher Helen Fisher said that “love is the very core of marriage”, we couldn’t agree more. She goes on to say that back in the day, traditional marriages were more about marrying for a variety of reasons (whether it was for their family or the community) that didn’t really factor in how you felt about the marriage itself — Fast forward to present day where people are now marrying for themselves. YourTango Experts Senior VP Melanie Gorman, Therapist SaraKay Smullens, Relationship Retreat Guide Mary Ellen Goggin and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Alicia H. Clark drive home the point that wanting to find a love that will last forever is just part of who we are. Even so many people getting divorced, it doesn’t mean that the future of relationships is bleak. After all, we just want to feel love and accepted.