Why do so many people expect love relationships to be perfect?

In addition to an article in this months Psychology Today, there were a couple of questions today about people changing for their partners. Additionally, so many people are advising that single people should hold out for the perfect soulmate. A lot of people end up still single in their late thirties or forties or fifties as a result of never finding the perfect partner.

The idea seems to be that there is a perfect match out there. Someone we don’t have to change for. Another idea seems to be that if you are not perfect for each other, you should change for each other.

The Psychology Today article questions these attitudes, and suggests that an alternative is to adapt. No one has to change. No one has to be perfect. We can learn to love each other as we are and to get along well enough.

Even perfect couples will have troubles. There really is no such thing as a perfect match—at least in a vast majority of relationships over the entire life of the relationship. But no one talks about adapting. Everyone wants perfection (well, not everyone, but a lot). Why do so many people expect love relationships to be perfect matches? Does it make sense to think that? If not, what can we do about it?