No, I don't believe in soulmates. It makes for great stories, but not for real life. In many ways, I think Plato did people--women especially--a huge diservice by propagating this theory that there is some "other half" out there we all need to be searching for.
For one, I reject the idea that I NEED a partner in my life to make me complete. I was myself long before I was part of a married couple. It's unfair to put the weight of those expectations of "being the other half that completes me" on another person. It's a fictional person that will never embarass me and always understand everything I say. I don't understand myself sometimes!
Also, I think too many people think themselves inadequate when they find themselves without a significant other--that can lead to bad relationships that drain them and sometimes even end their lives.
For another, I've seen several relationships and families destroyed when one person in the committed partnership decided someone outside of it was really his/her "soulmate". Ironically enough, it was often only to find out that this supposed soulmate actually was a normal human who also said insensitive things from time to time and forgot to take out the trash.
For me, it's not about a mystical reunion of souls but rather a choice coupled with a commitment. I like Pam's statistical theory, and I feel it's likely close to the truth. Maybe that's sucking the romance out of it, but I've found that real life has a way of confounding expectations of the romantic, both for the good and the bad.
