Are you actively deciding to move on to the next romantic stage of your love life, or are you simply slip-sliding along the route to what may seem like the next logical step?

After we decide to commit ourselves to someone, our decision-making process may change course.

Commitment is based on both the individual’s particular personality traits as well as the interdependence of the individuals on one another. Put simply, people who need other people and feel needed by those people are more likely to commit to each other than those who don’t.

Suddenly, Rapunzel and her prince falling in love at first sight seems to make a lot more sense: Rapunzel needed her freedom, and every fairytale prince needs a romantic partner who just happens to be a helpless maiden.

But how do we know if our love will last the test of time?

According to science, relationships last when (1) people need or depend on each other and (2) the other options for potential mates aren't particularly appealing.

In 1980, researcher C.E. Rusbult added the idea of romantic investment to this equation.

The decision to stay in a relationship is also a result of the resources that could be lost if........

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