How Romantic Was the Ancient Aryan Love?

The term “Aryan culture” refers to the ancient cultural civilizations that existed many centuries ago. The word “Aryan” was often used interchangeably with “Indo-European” to mean Indo-Iranian languages. Here I will talk about Aryan love. Who Were the Aryans? In … Continue reading

Did Love Exist in Ancient Aryan Culture?

The cultural connotations of the word “Aryan” can be different. Many of us might recall the popular modern name “Aryan.” Some may think of the word in association with the notion of white racial superiority, which is incorrect. However, few … Continue reading

Emoji Love and Other Emotions in the Virtual World

In modern culture, it seems easy to guess what “heart” and especially “red heart” mean. Guess what? Love! So, the corresponding symbols are common in modern virtual world. The emoji ❤️ adopted the same meaning social media messages. The red heart … Continue reading

The Irresistible Attraction of Hugging in Love

Physical attraction and physical interaction of different kinds seem naturally involved in love relationships. Kissing, cuddling, and hugging are commonly associated with loving behavior. Why so? Is it culturally universal? Let us see why, for many loving and loved people, … Continue reading

Love Is Not So Blind as Many Might Think

Romantic lovers are not so blind in their perception of their loved ones. It was found that they can pretty accurately judge the abilities of their significant others. Some may believe that their partner knows them better than they know … Continue reading

Surprising Findings on How Religions Affect the Expression of Emotions

Religious teachings give their followers lessons about the world, life, the mind, emotions, and behaviors. Among other important things in human life, religions teach believers the proper ways to experience and express emotions (for a review, see Karandashev, 2021a). In … Continue reading

The Measurement Pitfalls of Research Designs in Cultural Studies of Religions

Cross-cultural comparability and generalizability are the problems that come up in religious studies and need to be solved for scientific progress (Karandashev, 2021a; Karandashev et al., 2022; Fischer, 2022). When studying behavioral and social phenomena in various populations and religious … Continue reading

Unexpected Conceptual Challenges in Cultural Studies of Religions

Cultural studies of religions encounter the problems of cross-cultural comparability and generalizability, which need to be resolved for further scientific progress in this field (Karandashev, 2021a; Karandashev et al., 2022; Fischer, 2022). Culture matters when we study behavioral and social … Continue reading

Two African Societies with Matriarchal Cultures

Many of us are familiar with traditional patriarchal societies, which have been prevalent throughout the world for many centuries. In a patriarchal society, the father is the main owner of a property and the head of a household. Because of … Continue reading

Three Surprisingly Unusual Matriarchal Cultures in Asia

Many of us are familiar with traditional patriarchal societies that are widespread across the world. In patriarchy, the father is both the home and family head in many respects. Can a matriarchal culture of gender relations be possible and viable? … Continue reading