Love & Jealousy

Miranda Hope and Chase McWhorter

She is absolutely stunning, and he’s a tall, good-looking guy. Chase has mentioned that he doesn't really get jealous, and he clearly enjoys the freedom of dating around. A traditional nuclear family doesn't seem to be on his radar. In his current state, he wouldn't exactly fit the archetype of a romance novel hero... unless, of course, he found "the one" and traded his desire for variety for the singular goal of keeping her.

The most intriguing part to me, though, is his lack of jealousy. I struggle to wrap my head around that. It raises a deep question: Can you truly love someone without feeling jealous?

Maybe the answer is simply that people love differently. Some love might be less intense, or perhaps it’s just as powerful but expressed through a different lens. Loving without a trace of possessiveness is a "weird" concept, especially by the standards of romance novels, where jealousy is often used as a benchmark for passion. Personally, I find it hard to view a total lack of jealousy as love, but I want to understand that perspective.

Is there a genetic component to this? From an evolutionary standpoint, perhaps some of our ancestors benefited from being more open to polygamy or non-traditional structures. Did it help them survive? It’s a strange thing to consider, but seeing the world through their feelings helps us understand the vast ways humans connect.