Cosmic Queries – The Science of Love

About This Episode

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day, StarTalk style? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice delve into the science of love, thanks to a little help from returning guest Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist who is a Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction and the chief scientific advisor at Match.com. Together, the trio tackle your toughest questions about the biology and physiology of love, from whether human love is more than just a chemical interaction involving dopamine and oxytocin, to whether romantic love is more effective, evolutionarily speaking, than choosing a mate intellectually. You’ll learn whether animals can fall in love, and whether the love we feel for our pets or favorite car is related in any way to the love we feel for our soul-mate. Discover whether there are genes for promiscuity, and whether evolutionary forces favor polyamory or monogamy. Explore what love has in common physiologically with thirst, hunger, and addiction, and whether the opposite of love is hate or indifference. You’ll even find out why love hurts – and what you can do about it when it does.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: Cosmic Queries – The Science of Love.