A young journalist came in yesterday to talk about differences between American and Italian culture. The one thing he said (that stuck in my mind, anyway) is that although divorce rates are much lower in Italy, the infidelity rate is around 70%, much higher than in the US. Meanwhile Indians neither cheat nor divorce (as a rule) but they often make their spouses miserable enough that divorce might almost be a relief.

I used to think that in some cultures (cultures of so-called compromise) it was more common to love someone else until the day one of you died. I guess that's not true. All the happy old couples are beating the odds.