PDF Version. Novels, movies, and real-life experiences remind us of numerous instances of how men and women fall in love with each other in the time of adversity and the challenges they encounter. Experiencing adversity can make people fall in … Continue reading
Category Archives: romantic love
A Tribute to Ellen Berscheid, a Prominent Researcher in the Social Psychology of Love and Relationship
PDF Version. With profound sadness, the Institute of Love Studies shares news that Ellen Berscheid, an American social psychologist and one of the pioneering figures in the studies of love and interpersonal relationships, passed away on May 22, 2025. Ellen … Continue reading
Revisiting the Romeo and Juliet Effect on Love Feelings
Authors: Victor Karandashev and Ernest Light PDF Version Contemporary young men and women appear to feel autonomy in their selection of romantic partners. However, individuals’ social networks and family members seem to substantially influence their romantic preferences. Researchers have explored … Continue reading
The Romeo and Juliet Effect on Love Feelings
Authors: Victor Karandashev and Ernest Light PDF Version Modern young men and women seem to be free in their choice of who they love. Nevertheless, other people in their life, their social networks, and family members appear to significantly affect … Continue reading
Sex and the Sacred in North American Indigenous Art
PDF version Is sexual love only a biological impulse or a desire for the divine? While traditional study tends to look at the art of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast within a narrow framework of tribe crests and … Continue reading
A Towering Figure in the Study of Love: Obituary for Helen Fisher
PDF version Helen Fisher, one of the towering figures in the study of love, passed away on August 17, 2024, in New York, United States. She was trained as a biological anthropologist, mainly at Rutgers University, New Jersey. She used … Continue reading
Are You Prone to Parasocial Love?
PDF version. The term “parasocial love” refers to a psychological experience of admiration toward another person with whom we have no real relationship. Besides, another person may be unaware of our existence. It turns out that some individuals tend to … Continue reading
Polyamory Appears to Be a New Form of Love
PDF version. There is some evidence that polyamory appears to be a novel alternative to traditional monogamous romantic love. Polyamory is on the rise in many modern societies. Why so? Let’s consider what Americans think about polyamory and polygamy. What … Continue reading
How Our Perception Tricks Us When We Are in Love
PDF version. How can we know if someone loves us or at least finds us attractive? There are certain verbal and non-verbal expressions and behaviors that we recognize as mutual attraction (Karandashev, 2024). However, our perception when we are in … Continue reading
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