A mathematical model of love stories

Love stories are dynamic processes in which emotional involvement (or "feelings") evolve over time, generally starting from a state of indifference. For this reason, they can be placed, at least in principle, within the formal framework of dynamical systems theory, where mathematical models are used to describe the evolution of reference variables over time. The most frequently used models are based on ordinary differential equations (ODE).

This is the incipit of a not-so-recent article (dating back to July of this year) but a fascinating one, taken from Popinga, a lovely science and literature blog I occasionally follow. I know that even the mere idea of formalizing the elements that determine attraction between two individuals and regulate the evolution of their relationship may seem repugnant to many because it has to do with feelings, and these, for the masses, are a-mathematical (α privative), but for someone accustomed to mathematics, the thing is not so strange. At worst, it's just difficult.

The original article is this: Love Stories as Dynamical Systems.

PS: A basic familiarity with differential equations is a prerequisite to appreciate it.

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