It's taboo because it's doesn't conform to ideals.
Then again, whoever invented these ideals must have known something..
For example.. kindness give you nothing tangible in return. Should we stop doing them because of that? I feel good inside when i do something kind.
These ideals seem to be the key to happiness. I've never seen a cruel POS who was actually happy. More inline with your thread... most of my 'player' friends.. you know the ones every guy envies because they are latching onto some hot new piece of ass every week.. they're always hoping to find 'the one'. Now why is that? Because most people are shallow.. but shallow doesn't make most people happy. I don't think it makes anybody happy.
Rich men who marry young model types are almost always signing off half of their hard earned wealth. All things being equal, no 23 year old hottie with firm tits would ever marry an ageing 50 year old. I think deep down these guys know they are renting time on her bodies.
Women who go for these rich types are almost always going to end up wealthy but lonely.. They tend to be manipulative and everything is they do is transactional - you only see their good side if the money is flowing. Generally, people shy away from these types and they almost always grow old alone... with 56 cats and 500 pairs of towering heels they can no longer wear. And a lonely woman.. is the most bitter of them all.
I spoke to a fairly wealthy older guy who had gone on a business trip only to come back three weeks later and find another man living in his house. His wife was significantly younger! Needless to say he was crushed. I've also noticed that the older folks I talk to care about companionship, romance, love. Things that you can't put a dollar value on that ultimately make life worth living.
I've seen fairly successful people calculate the average cost of having a child or getting married as a way to justify not doing it. Parenthood and marriage when successful reward you in ways that no amount of money in the world can. A friend of mine just heard his son say 'dada' for the first time last week. That's priceless.
And besides.. you can't take it wit ya!