The Psychology of Relationships

The Psychology of Relationships: How Experimental Science, Empirical Data, and Seinfeld Help us Understand Love

Relationship science is a multidisciplinary field which draws from subject areas such as psychology, biology, and sociology.  A variety of perspectives all converge to help determine what leads some relationships to flourish, while others are doomed to fail. This talk will take a look at the psychological research aimed at determining the underpinnings of universal human experiences such as attraction and love.

We will examine why people need interpersonal relationships, how they form, and what sometimes leads to their demise. Beyond this, we will look at what may tip the scale to create fractures within a relationship and how to avoid many common pitfalls. Data from studies of factors for choosing mates and the importance of first date behavior will be presented and explored. Basically, we will cover topics that will assist us in becoming discerning consumers of this hot topic of research.