A General Theory of Love - Softcover

Lewis, Thomas; Amini, Fari; Lannon, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0375709223 ISBN 13: 9780375709227

Publisher: Vintage, 2001

Synopsis

This original and lucid account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being draws on the latest scientific research. Three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain.

A General Theory of Love demonstrates that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are. Explaining how relationships function, how parents shape their child’s developing self, how psychotherapy really works, and how our society dangerously flouts essential emotional laws, this is a work of rare passion and eloquence that will forever change the way you think about human intimacy.

About this title

Review

Poor, poor science--it gets blamed for everything. While it might be true that some of our alienation and unhappiness stem from a too-rational misunderstanding of emotion, it's also true that science is its own remedy. A General Theory of Love, by San Francisco psychiatrists Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon, is a powerfully humanistic look at the natural history of our deepest feelings, and why a simple hug is often more important than a portfolio full of stock options. Their grasp of neural science is topnotch, but the book is more about humans as social animals and how we relate to others--for once, the brain plays second fiddle to the heart.

Though some of their social analysis is less than fully thought out--surely e-mail isn't a truly unique form of communication, as they suggest--the work as a whole is strong and merits attention. Science, it turns out, does have much to say about our messy feelings and relationships. While much of it could be filed under "common sense," it's nice to know that common sense is replicable. Hard-science types will probably be exasperated with the constant shifts between data and appeals to emotional truths, but the rest of us will see in A General Theory of Love a new synthesis of research and poetry. --Rob Lightner

From the Back Cover

"A revolutionary book. In the tradition of Lewis Thomas, its authors transform hard science into page-turning lyricism. Every page provokes a shock of recognition as we see why the sources of our happiness lie far deeper in our brains than material goods, traditional psychotherapy, or self-help books have the power to reach. A reference book on life, this work deserves to be read and reread. It goes to the heart of what it means to be human."
--Madeline Levine, Ph.D., author of See No Evil: A Guide to Protecting Our Children from Media Violence
"Advancing a thesis as exciting in its way as Einstein's general theory of relativity, A General Theory of Love forges a wealth of fresh scientific research into a coherent thesis about the role of intimacy in our lives that is as eloquent as it is persuasive."

--Leonard Shlain, M.D., author of The Alphabet Versus the Goddess and Art & Physics
"A new and exciting integration of insights from many fields, A General Theory of Love provides an original understanding of human behavior. Clearly written, it is must reading for psychotherapists, patients, parents, teachers, and anyone who wants to better understand him- or herself."
--Paul Ekman, Ph.D., professor of psychology,
University of California, San Francisco, author of Telling Lies,
editor of Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
"A General Theory of Love is a charmingly written, intriguing look at what the new frontiers of science tell us about the seemingly unscientific vagaries of human love. The authors explain the biological reasons behind what we already know in our hearts: Our need for love is wired deeply within us, and from infancy to old age our happiness depends upon receiving it. A General Theory of Love is both a revelation and a guide."
--Danielle Crittenden, author of What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us

Edition details

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0375709223
• ISBN 13: 9780375709227
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 274