No, I'm not saying love is a myth. The myth of romantic love is the false idea that love will solve all of your problems. Women, especially, find that they are waiting for the knight in shining armor to carry them away--and when he arrives, nothing really changes. Love can make you a better person, but that is up to YOU, not your lover, and can happen whether the relationship ends or not. Love is not a magic wand; you'll find only disappointment if you put all your hopes and dreams into it.

Wintersweet pointed out the female side of this common myth.

Men as often as women fall into this myth. They go out seeking for a the helpless princess to rescue and provide for. When she arrives, our noble knight proceeds to ignore anything about her and their subsequent children other than monetary and safety concerns.

In men, also causes extreme possessiveness, making it a leading cause of jealousy.

They say this phenomenon dates back to the troubadors. I personally like to blame it on Hollywood. In any case, romantic love only seems to last a very finite period of time, (3 months is a good rule of thumb) and yet pretty much seems to be what the world is after, in one form or another. Cuz real love is hard.