A French writer and historian once wrote, "We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity - romantic love and gunpowder." While many people might be tempted to agree that gunpowder has been an invention which has caused many problems for humanity, it is the other item which is surprising to find on a list of the worst inventions of humanity, particularly on the very short list.

Even though this isn't the time of year when people think especially about thoughts of love, this is only a few months past spring, when young people's fancies are thought to turn to thoughts of love, and past June, when many people get married. So it might seem strange to hear about romantic love as one of the two worst inventions of humanity.

But there is certainly some evidence that romantic lov…