In the 2009 romantic comedy “500 Days of Summer,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, Tom Hansen, takes interest in his quirky new coworker, Summer Finn (played by Zooey Deschanel). Summer tells Tom upfront that she is not looking for a serious relationship, but he falls in love with her anyway. When Summer eventually breaks things off between them, Tom is devastated despite having never put an official label on their relationship.
Although not all relationships require labels, labels can ensure that everyone is on the same page.