Podcast examines the psychobiology of love

 Gemma Evans, Unsplash

Love Science,” a new episode of the “What Makes Us Human” podcast series, exploresthe behavioral, psychological and neural components of love – and its loss.

The podcast’s third season – “What Do We Know about Love?” – showcases the newest thinking across academic disciplines about the relationship between humans and love. 

“Love is the glue that binds infants and caregivers. It is also the glue that binds two adult partners to one another ... . Although love takes various forms, they share important commonalities,” says Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology, in the podcast.

In her research, Zayas seeks to uncover why people feel or act a certain way. Her research into the “relational mind” investigates how we mentally represent the emotional complexity of our closest relationships; why we are drawn toward some people and not others; how we make inferences about our social standing from social interactions; and how we regulate threats to our self-esteem.

The series is produced by the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Cornell Broadcast Studios and features audio essays written and recorded by Cornell faculty. New episodes are released each Tuesday through the fall semester and air on WHCU and WVBR. “What Makes Us Human” podcasts are available for download on iTunes and SoundCloud and for streaming on the A&S humanities page, where text versions of the essays are also posted.

- Linda B. Glaser

Media Contact

Gillian Smith