Why the Way We Love Matters: A Comparative Examination of Sufi and Western Love Ideals in Shaping the Economy, Power, and Autonomy

This study investigates how cultural narratives of love- often overlooked in economic discourse-fundamentally shape economic behaviors, power dynamics, and autonomy in both personal and professional contexts. By analyzing 25 Sufi and 25 American texts, this paper contrasts the self-transcendent, communal love emphasized in Sufi literature with the economically conditional, individualistic relationships depicted in Western literature. Our findings reveal that these divergent narratives profoundly influence gender roles, financial dependence, and societal power structures. This cultural framing of love impacts economic decision-making, contributing to financial inequalities and reinforcing gendered economic dependencies. As artificial intelligence increasingly drives high-stakes economic and leadership decisions, AI models must incorporate cultural dimensions like those of love, which shape decision-making in nuanced and often unquantifiable ways. A more holistic understanding of human values will achieve socially responsible outcomes. By highlighting the economic significance of cultural ideals around love, this paper offers a novel framework for integrating culturally diverse narratives into economic modeling, ultimately supporting ethical leadership, accountability, and inclusivity in decision-making systems.