Everybody wants love, but do they know what it is? Understanding the biological and psychological roots of romantic love can help people better navigate this significant and often intense landscape of emotions, which is what the episode will reveal.
Adam Bode is an interdisciplinary researcher who primarily focuses on romantic love and human mating. Adam is currently getting his PhD in Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University’s School of Archaeology and Anthropology, having already completed a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) and Laws from the same school. He also published a paper in 2021 and regularly writes for his monthly newsletter.
Host Aditi Kutty and guest Adam Bode opened up the discussion with the definition of romantic love. According to his recent research, Adam categorizes romantic relationships into four groups: dating, committed and not living together, committed and living together, and married and de-facto married relationships.
They talk about the lack of research in this area and the questions that still need to be answered, especially on how queer relationships fit into the evolutionary perspective.
The conversation covers various aspects of relationships and romantic love. Aditi and Adam explored how relationships have changed over the years, especially in terms of dynamics and expectations. Nevertheless, Adam asserts that the fundamental purpose of relationships – to bind two people together to create a more stable and enjoyable life – remains the same.
From there, the conversation progressed into the biology of romantic love. In his recent paper, Adam proposed a new definition of romantic love, revealing it as a suite of biological and psychological processes. He also talks about its biological effects, evolutionary causes, and modern implications of romantic love.
Aditi and Adam then discuss specific strategies that viewers can use to uplift their romantic relationships. Adam talked about how physical touch is a fundamental expression of romantic love and discussed strategies for using it to improve relationships.
Love is often so glorified that it’s relegated to the realm of art and even fantasy, but this prevents people from truly understanding this fascinating process. Scientific inquiry into this topic, some of which were discussed in this episode, can help people better understand romantic love and, therefore, better harness its potential to create a better life.
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