Pacific Standard July-August 2013 Cover

Who’s Happier on Valentine’s Day? The Single or the Hitched?

February 14, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
(PHOTO: OLARU RADIAN-ALEXANDRU/SHUTTERSTOCK)

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means you’re either nibbling on a chocolate truffle—nothing says “I love you” and “I forgot to make us dinner reservations” like a Godiva gift box—or spooning Ben and Jerry’s straight from the carton. And chances are, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Coupled? You wish your friends would hurry up and find Mr. Right, already. (After all, they’re not getting any younger.) Single? You don’t see a diamond ring—you see an iron ball and chain. “We often become evangelists for our own lifestyles,” writes a trio of psychologists in a ... Read More

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Contemplating Crushes: A Scholarly Look at Love

February 13, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
(PHOTO: MMX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

You’re The One That I Want The idea that opposites attract is a long-time movie standby: Just think of Danny and Sandy from Grease (well, at least before she bought leather pants and got a perm). Sadly, this may be misleading to romantic hopefuls. A study published in Personality and Individual Differences reveals that similarities in personality may help predict longevity in relationships. Close to 5,000 couples were tracked over a five-year period, their personalities assessed at the beginning and end of this time. The results revealed that initial evidence of personality congruence ... Read More

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Marry You? Let Me Consult My Brain Scan

February 12, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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As Valentine’s Day approaches, some who find themselves in the ecstasy of a new romance will find their joy tempered by a nagging thought: “But will our love last?” Recently published research suggests that, when it comes to predicting persistent passion, the best crystal ball may turn out to be a brain scan. In the journal Neuroscience Letters, a research team led by Stony Brook University psychologist Xiaomeng Xu provides “preliminary evidence that neural responses in the early stages of romantic love can predict relationship stability and quality up to 40 months ... Read More

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Oxytocin Levels Predict Longevity of Love Affairs

February 13, 2012 • By • Leave a Comment
Oxytocin Levels Predict Longevity of Love Affairs

There’s nothing like the bliss of a new romance. And yet, many experiencing such rapture find it disrupted by a nagging question: How do we know our love will last? Newly published research suggests a possible answer: Get your oxytocin levels checked. A team of researchers led by Ruth Feldman of the Gonda Brain Sciences Center of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have just published a study examining the role oxytocin, commonly called the “cuddle hormone,” plays in the early stages of romantic relationships. While differentiating cause and effect is tricky, the researchers find a ... Read More

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Long-Term Love Not Just a Fairy Tale

August 8, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment

And they lived happily ever after. That fairy-tale inspired narrative of wedded bliss appears to hold true for a surprisingly large number of Americans, according to a newly published study. In a random survey, 47.8 percent of married Americans (49 percent of men and 46.3 percent of women) reported being “very intensely in love” with their spouse, according to a research team led by Stony Brook University psychologist K. Daniel O’Leary. Another 13.4 percent said they were “intensely in love,” while 26.2 percent chose the term “very in love.” Not surprisingly, those ... Read More

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Flowers Make Women More Receptive to Romance

April 7, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment

Men have been known to engage in all sorts of behaviors to enhance their sex appeal. Work out. Write bad poetry. Buy expensive cars. Well, guys, it turns out there’s a simpler way. If you want to increase the odds a woman will find you attractive, all you have to do is buy her a beautiful bouquet. Or, alternatively, hang out near a rose garden. Research from (where else?) France, just published in the journal Social Influence, found females were considerably more likely to accept an invitation for a date if they had just been sitting in a flower-festooned room. “These results ... Read More

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Love Songs Linked to Receptiveness to Romance

June 15, 2010 • By • 1 Comment

Ladies: Have you ever given your phone number to a guy in a bar or bistro and then wondered why on earth you did? Sure, your inebriation level probably played a role, but new research suggests you may have acted under the influence of yet another powerful mood-enhancer: that romantic music playing in the background. That’s the conclusion of a study titled "Love is in the Air," just published in the journal Psychology of Music. Lead author Nicolas Guèguen, a professor of social behavior at the University of Bretagne-Sud in France, has published revealing research about courtship cues (a ... Read More

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Romance Novel Titles Reveal Readers’ Desires

March 2, 2010 • By • 9 Comments

Great thinkers from Sigmund Freud to Mel Gibson have profitably pondered the timeless question “What do women want?” Now, two Canadian researchers — one of each gender — have taken a novel approach to solving this purported puzzle. In a paper titled "The Texas Billionaire’s Pregnant Bride," recently published in the Journal of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Psychology, they analyze the titles of Harlequin romance novels. Anthony Cox of the Center of Psychology and Computing and psychologist Maryanne Fisher of St. Mary’s University contend these best-selling volumes — and in ... Read More

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Valentine’s Day in the Lab

February 12, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment

Could Valentine's Day, a holiday meant to celebrate romantic relationships, somehow bring about their untimely end? A 2004 study at Arizona State suggests the answer is yes: Researchers found that Cupid's arrow may actually shoot down some not-so-strong relationships. Katherine A. Morse and Steven L. Neuberg surveyed students about their relationships one week before and one week after Valentine's Day. They found that couples were more likely to break up during the holiday period than those surveyed at different times in the year. "Valentine's Day facilitates the downward trajectory from ... Read More

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Love, But Not Lust, Inspires Creativity

August 31, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment

Over the centuries, romantic love has inspired countless composers, poets and painters. But what exactly is the link between artistry and amour? Newly published psychological research refines this eternal equation, suggesting that while love does inspire creativity, thoughts of sex enhance analytical thinking. "Love and lust lead to different ways of perceiving the world," the research team, led by psychologist Jens Forster of the University of Amsterdam, reports in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. While love inspires musings about long-term outcomes (having kids, growing old ... Read More

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