The Science of Love - Hardcover

Whether you live for Valentine's Day or are the type to forget your wedding anniversary, love is, quite simply, part of being human. In The Science of Love, renowned evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar uses the latest science to explore every aspect of human love. Why do we kiss? What evolutionary benefit could there be to feeling like you would die for your mate? If love exists to encourage child-bearing and child-rearing, why do we love until death do us part (and beyond)? Is parental love anything like romantic love? Dunbar explores everything science has discovered about romance, passion, sex, and commitment, answering these questions and more.

• Draws on the latest scientific research to examine the many aspects of love?passion, commitment, intimacy, hugging, kissing, monogamy, cheating, and more?and explain why we have evolved to behave as we do
• Filled with fascinating insights into specific human behaviors and experiences, from the European air kiss on both cheeks to the phenomenon of love at first sight
• Written by Robin Dunbar, a prominent anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist whose work have been featured in Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and many other books

Praise for The Science of Love

"Bridges the gap between the biological explanations for humans' romantic behaviour and the psychological, historical, social and evolutionary contexts that help to shape it. Dunbar excels at taking obvious and familiar information?men prefer curvy women; women prefer men who dance well; older women rarely reveal their ages in lonely-hearts columns?and explaining the complex and often unexpected evolutionary science that lies behind it all."
?The Economist

"As well as looking at the science of attraction?what happens in our brains when we fall in love?Dunbar offers an engaging analysis of the differences between the sexes in their choice of life partners. Dunbar covers familiar ground, such as our inclination towards partners who resemble our parents, and how passion tends to wane three years into a relationship, but he always offers a refreshing take. The Science of Love is an empowering read. Only by better understanding why we act in certain ways or what is prompting a particular emotion can we make the necessary choices to improve our love lives."
?The Independent (UK)