one inevitable truth about them is that, no matter what, the behaviors that drive the story toward its Happily Ever After are pro-social ones. Our lovers might not be good at love when they start out. But if they want that happy ending, they damn well better figure it out. And so, over the course of the story, they master the many arts of listening, and connecting, and nurturing, and caretaking, and trusting, and appreciating, and savoring, and sharing, and empathizing. They have to overcome their prejudices, learn to apologize, forgive each other, and sacrifice. When we read love stories, we
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