Maybe its not exactly something other sims do. But my own sim has a sort of ritual they do, that started completely by random but I think I'll continue it.
So every time they start to get romantically interested in someone, it just so happens they get asked out to the romance festival not long after. And then I go to ask the love guru about my romantic destiny... every time so far he's told me it's bleak. So while still at the romance festival, I dump them by asking to just be friends.
Maybe one of these times the love gods of fate will be kind.