Yes. Romance is another. The pursuit of wealth and pleasure as primary is another. There are many examples. But religion is certainly the most enduring and pervasive of them.

@mordant While romance can exist , it's very sad that some make absolutely no attempt to romance one another . Relationships work best , when people make a point of making one another feel good about themselves .

@Cast1es I am not against being romantic toward a partner and otherwise helping them to feel good about their best selves, but the romantic tradition rooted in 11th century "courtly love" objectifies women and causes men to project qualities upon them that they cannot live up to. It also elevates yearning as virtuous and consummation of yearning as sinful, and so has ruined sexuality for centuries.

That sense of "romance" basically promotes the "madonna or whore" false dichotomy on women and that's decidedly not evoking good feelings for anyone.

@Cast1es Our current ideas of romance and what constitutes "romantic" are rooted in the 11th century. That's all I'm pointing out. I agree with everything else you wrote. Housework, kids, and the vicissitudes of life are all buzz kills, even when equally shared ... it is a lot of work to keep the relationship vital. Part of that is just reality ... part of it is unrealistic expectations coming from religious and romantic ideation though.