How come romance is use as short cut to humanize characters?

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

In simple terms, because the desire for love is one of the greatest driving forces a person can experience. Nearly everyone wants or needs love at some point, and that need can be a great hook for characters. It's a way to show who a person is at their core.

Yep. It's a part of life, really the dominant factor in life for most people. So it always perturbs me a little bit when people are like, "I don't like romance/relationship stuff in (whatever the story is)." It doesn't have to be THE focus but it's actually not very realistic at all to leave it out.

Originally Posted by Luckyday

I mean would it kill them to show why a character have romantic feelings in a subtle manner?

There is absolutely nothing subtle at all about romance or romantic feelings. At least when it's real and not a passing fancy. It's rather overwhelming and powerful. It's hard to accurately portray it in a subdued fashion.