I hesitate to join this smoldering flame-fest, but...
Your comment reflects the typical idea these days, but it seems like a recipe for divorce to me. What do you do when your significant other gets fat? Or bald? Or wrinkly? Physical attraction is temporary. If that's what keeps your significant other with you, then you can expect him to upgrade eventually (if he can afford to).
Nobody on this thread has mentioned arranged marriages yet, but they're solid evidence that impulse-pairings are not the only way to go.
How did you get physical attraction exclusively out of phantomworker's comment: I personally prefer to be attracted to and in love with my significant other.???
If you LOVE someone and their physical appearance fades with age (as it does for all of us unless we go the fakey plastic surgery route) you can still be ATTRACTED to them.
I don't see it as a flame-fest in any way, do you?
So you are in favor of arranged marriages?
Impulse-pairing is an interesting way to put it. But I think what we were talking about was the talking and agreeing before the marriage. Maybe that is why arranged marriages do work, although I have never known any personally. I just always thought there should be love and respect in a marriage. Attraction is often the first step toward building love, imho.