love according to nerds

My favorite econ blogger on love:

The thesis is simple, and almost everyone disagrees with it upon first hearing. The symmetry thesis: A given person likes (loves) you as much as you like (love) him or her...Perhaps we like other people for their intrinsic qualities less than we pretend. Mostly we like people for liking (loving) us.

Interesting idea. If this thesis is true, then romantic relationships should tend to be self-reinforcing, growing stronger over time. Does the prevalence of divorce disprove the thesis? Or does the prevalence of divorce suggest that real love is often not at the foundation of modern marriages?