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
Companionate Love in Times of Crisis
PDF Version In times of crisis, companionate love—rooted in friendship and shared struggles—reveals its power. The story of David and Jonathan told in book of 1 Samuel 18:1–4, 19:1–7, and 20:1–42 in the Old Testament (King James Bible, 2024) is … Continue reading
The Need to Belong is the Need for Love
PDF version People have a vital human need: the need for love. They want to be loved and nurtured. It is. It involves both receiving and giving love. The need to belong is also the need for love. It implies … Continue reading
Love as Affiliation: Who Crave for It, Who Doesn’t
PDF Version Many people, as social animals, experience the need for love as longing for affiliation with others. Why do some men and women experience this need for connection more intensely than others? Why do some crave affiliation in love … Continue reading
Milk Jug Symbolizes Love among the Turkana People
PDF version A milk jug is an object with an evident utilitarian function—consumption. However, the Turkana women cherish the milk jug as an aesthetic object. What is so special about milk and the milk jug? The Multivocality of Symbols Symbols … Continue reading
Sex and the Sacred in North American Indigenous Art
PDF version Anthropologist Charles Lindholm (2006) writes about romantic love as a yearning for the sacred. According to philosopher Irving Singer (1984), romantic love is a combination of various aspects of love, ranging from the libidinal to the ideal. The … Continue reading
How the Australian Bullroarer Invokes the Happiness of Sexual Love
PDF version Aboriginal Australians had a longstanding belief that tjurunga—the bullroarer—brings happiness in life and lovemaking. Why so and how? Over years, anthropologists explored the rituals associated with these culturally symbolic objects. What is the Bullroarer? The bullroarer is a … Continue reading
The New Books on Love Studies Published in 2024
The Institute of Love Studies informs you that in 2024, three interesting books on love have been published. One is about The Future of Love-from Sex Dolls and Avatars to Polyamory. The second one is about The Varieties of Love … 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