Laura - Two summers ago in London, I developed a romantic relationship with a man I met over there. Axiom 31 explains that because we were attracted to each other we were less anxious and more desirous to get to know each other, thereby reducing uncertainty. I categorized him immediately as, among other things, English. He made sure I knew that he was Scottish and pointed out the difference. Well, axiom 21 speaks about being able to create new categories in which to put people, and I was more than willing to do just that. Axiom 31, the increase in attraction axiom, also explains why I was suddenly so fascinated to learn about Scottish/English relations. Because we found that we both passionately liked the same kind of music and were mutually interested in journalism, we had plenty to talk about and plenty of reason to be interested in each other. That's axiom 20 - an increase in perceived similarity will produce a decrease in our anxiety and in our ability to reduce uncertainty. But alas, axiom 37 states that an increase in shared networks will produce a decrease in anxiety. Well, we had no shared networks, so this worked in opposition to our relationship. After I left we began faithfully writing letters, but they dwindled to nothing over time. Now we have no way of reducing uncertainty about each other. And because my anxieties have been increasing and predictability has decreased between us, I'm less and less likely to write to him as time passes.