Looking for Happiness? Forget Puppy Love

If you’re stuck in a romantic rut, blame it on puppy love. Sociologists say the torrid affairs of youth lead to unrealistic expectations about relationships later in life, the Guardian reports. "Remarkably, it seems that the secret to long-term happiness in a relationship is to skip a first relationship," one sociologist, who edited a new book on love, says.

His research found that relationships are successful when partners think practically about what they need from each other. A social psychologist agrees, pointing out that features considered attractive earlier in life—like spontaneity—may have drawbacks later. "Adult relationships need all sorts of other virtues to survive, many of which are not compatible with that level of intensity,” she says.
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