Is Kissing for Love Culturally Universal?

Is kissing cross-culturally universal? Who invented kissing to express love to each other? It could seem that sexual kissing is a universal cultural practice. Artists widely portrayed the acts of kissing in a variety of material cultures, including books, paintings, … Continue reading

What Love Languages Are and Whether We Should Know Them

Over 30 years ago, Baptist pastor Gary Chapman introduced a theory of love languages, suggesting five typical ways people express and perceive love. His book “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” has become very popular since … Continue reading

How Assertion and Hesitation Help Sustain Love in Bicultural Marriages in Japan

Intercultural partners experience many challenges in building and sustaining love in bicultural marriages. In the previous article, we reviewed the key problems that Japanese and American partners encounter in their bicultural marriages. We explored those cases of third-culture marriage in … Continue reading

How Japanese and Americans Sustain Love in Bicultural Marriages in Japan

Intercultural lovers experience many challenges in attempts to build bicultural marriages. In this article, we consider the key issues that arise in the dozens of bicultural marriages we have known through observation of interactions and interviews in Japan. We clarify … Continue reading

The Courage to Love

Sometimes love requires strong actions. When we love someone, it is easy to mistake the respect we feel we should have towards the other person’s choices, with cowardice and fear. In the case of parental love, for instance, it is … Continue reading

Why People Love Romantic Comedies

PDF version Why are romantic comedies so popular among people? Do their narratives reflect men’s and women’s love? Romantic comedies, also known as rom-coms, are among the most popular film genres. However, they have often been criticized for not being … Continue reading

How to Avoid Date Night Boredom and Passion Decline

The article describes how a date night, and a romantic relationship can become boring and what partners can do to make them more passionate. Many love scholars consider passion to be a key feature of romantic love and the beginning … Continue reading

Take Notice of Your Partner’s Being Grateful to You

Gratitude is the best attitude. Love and happiness are closely associated with being grateful. On the other hand, it is so great when your partner notices your being grateful. Please recall the last time you were thankful for someone. This … Continue reading

It Is Wise for a Woman Hiding Her Defects

Ovid was a renowned Roman poet who lived between 43 BCE and 17 CE. His poetry trilogy “Ars Amatoria” (The Art of Love) has been popular among educated and noble individuals for centuries. Numerous modern humanities scholars are familiar with … Continue reading

Ovid’s Art of Love for Girls

The ancient Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE and 17 CE) is well-known among love scholars for his “Ars Amatoria,” a three-volume instructional series of poems describing what love is and how to love using the arts of seduction and intrigue. … Continue reading