This week we're talking about the science of love.
Other show notes:
- In heterosexual online dating, people pursue partners who are on average 25% more desirable than themselves. The likelihood of receiving a response to a first message decreases when there is a greater difference in desirability.
- Couples who were instructed by researchers to have more sex increased their sexual frequency but reported reduced happiness and enjoyment of sex. This suggests that more sex does not necessarily lead to greater relationship happiness.
- The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. (pdf)
Hosts:
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Conrad Jackson is a PhD student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He studies how culture changes over time, and the impact of cultural change on human cognition and behavior. Outside of research, he enjoys traveling and long-distance running.
Role:
Kevin Neibert
Kevin graduated from McGill with a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, specializing in Nanotechnology. In his spare time he reads & writes about science in society. He also works with video game developers as a science media consultant at Thwacke! to help to make games smarter.
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