Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook11 hours
The Chemistry Between Us: Love, Sex, and the Science of Attraction
Written by Brian Alexander and Larry Young
Narrated by Sean Pratt
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
How much control do we have over love? Much less than we like to think. All that mystery, all that poetry, all those complex behaviors surrounding human bonding leading to the most life-changing decisions we'll ever make, are unconsciously driven by a few molecules in our brains.
How does love begin? How can two strangers come to the conclusion that it would not only be pleasant to share their lives, but that they must share them? How can a man say he loves his wife, yet still cheat on her? Why do others stay in relationships even after the romance fades? How is it possible to fall in love with the “wrong” person? How do people come to have a “type”?
Physical attraction, jealousy, infidelity, mother-infant bonding-all the behaviors that so often leave us befuddled-are now being teased out of the fog of mystery thanks to today's social neuroscience. Larry Young, one of the world's leading experts in the field, and journalist Brian Alexander explain how those findings apply to you.
Drawing on real human stories and research from labs around the world, The Chemistry Between Us is a bold attempt to create a “grand unified theory” of love. Some of the mind-blowing insights include:
Love can get such a grip on us because it is, literally, an addiction.
To a woman falling in love, a man is like her baby.
Why it's false to say society makes gender, and how it's possible to have the body of one gender and the brain of another.
Why some people are more likely to cheat than others.
Why we sometimes truly can't resist temptation.
Young and Alexander place their revelations into historical, political, and social contexts. In the process, they touch on everything from gay marriage to why single-mother households might not be good for society. The Chemistry Between Us offers powerful insights into love, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and family life that will prove to be enlightening, controversial, and thought provoking.
How does love begin? How can two strangers come to the conclusion that it would not only be pleasant to share their lives, but that they must share them? How can a man say he loves his wife, yet still cheat on her? Why do others stay in relationships even after the romance fades? How is it possible to fall in love with the “wrong” person? How do people come to have a “type”?
Physical attraction, jealousy, infidelity, mother-infant bonding-all the behaviors that so often leave us befuddled-are now being teased out of the fog of mystery thanks to today's social neuroscience. Larry Young, one of the world's leading experts in the field, and journalist Brian Alexander explain how those findings apply to you.
Drawing on real human stories and research from labs around the world, The Chemistry Between Us is a bold attempt to create a “grand unified theory” of love. Some of the mind-blowing insights include:
Love can get such a grip on us because it is, literally, an addiction.
To a woman falling in love, a man is like her baby.
Why it's false to say society makes gender, and how it's possible to have the body of one gender and the brain of another.
Why some people are more likely to cheat than others.
Why we sometimes truly can't resist temptation.
Young and Alexander place their revelations into historical, political, and social contexts. In the process, they touch on everything from gay marriage to why single-mother households might not be good for society. The Chemistry Between Us offers powerful insights into love, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and family life that will prove to be enlightening, controversial, and thought provoking.
Author
Brian Alexander
Brian Alexander has written about American culture for decades. A former contributing editor to Wired magazine, he has been recognized by Medill School of Journalism's John Bartlow Martin awards for public interest journalism, and by other organizations. He grew up in Lancaster, with a family history in the glass business. He lives in California. Brian is the author of Glass House.
More audiobooks from Brian Alexander
Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town The God Matrix: A Spiritual Thriller With Cosmic Consequences Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to The Chemistry Between Us
Related audiobooks
Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hooked: The Brain Science on How Casual Sex Affects Human Development Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Sex Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex Outside the Lines: Authentic Sexuality in a Sexually Dysfunctional Culture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alchemy of Love and Lust: Discover Our Sex Hormones & Determine Who We Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations---From Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Erotic Mind: Unlocking the Inner Sources of Passion and Fulfillment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Think More About Sex Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex, Health, and Consciousness: How to Reclaim Your Pleasure Potential Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A General Theory of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empowered Love: Use Your Brain to Be Your Best Self and Create Your Ideal Relationship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mating in Captivity: In Search of Erotic Intelligence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Book About Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swearing Is Good for You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What Love Is: And What It Could Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Attachment Effect: Exploring the Powerful Ways Our Earliest Bond Shapes Our Relationships and Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Men's Brains: The Male Brain Explained Through Neural Analyses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sex Effect: Baring Our Complicated Relationship with Sex Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magnificent Sex: Lessons from Extraordinary Lovers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Relationships For You
Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You’re Not the Only One F*cking Up: Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lonely Dad Conversations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Summer of Fall: Gravity is a bitch, but I'm still standing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/58 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love, Revised Edition: Relationship Repair in a Flash Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Radiolab: The Feels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Spoiler Alert: You're Gonna Die: Unveiling Death One Question at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Moms Are Not Alright: Inside America's New Parenting Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hit and Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Cute When You're Mad: Simple Steps for Confronting Sexism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries in Marriage: Understanding the Choices That Make or Break Loving Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related podcast episodes
It’s Open (Relationship) Szn w/ Dr. Wednesday Martin 0% found this document usefulTake Your Sex Life from Stale to Sexy, Part 1 0% found this document usefulForeplay Everyday 0% found this document usefulThe science of dating 0% found this document usefulJune 10, 2019, Marriott Hotel: Pat Allen at the Marriott Hotel, Los Angeles 100% found this document useful#52 – Sex, Sex Culture & Sex at Dawn with Christopher Ryan - Podcast 100% found this document usefulFrom the Vault: Animal Sex Cannibals 0% found this document usefulTake Your Sex Life from Stale to Sexy, Part 2 0% found this document useful
Related articles
YOUR STARS FOR July Chat It's FateArticle
YOUR STARS FOR July
Jun 9, 2020
13 min readThe Bored Sex The AtlanticArticle
The Bored Sex
Feb 14, 2019
5 min readThinking About Reuniting With An Old Love? Chicago TribuneArticle
Thinking About Reuniting With An Old Love?
Dec 10, 2018
Linda Waud and Charles "Ben" Waud dated through most of high school and a year of college, and then went their separate ways. It wasn't until they bumped into each other at their 35-year high school reunion that he told her, "I guess it's time for us
4 min readSecrets of the Canine Mind TIMEArticle
Secrets of the Canine Mind
May 13, 2017
8 min readToo ANXIOUS To Orgasm Women's Health AustraliaArticle
Too ANXIOUS To Orgasm
Aug 4, 2019
3 min readYour Romantic Ideals Don’t Predict Who Your Future Partner Will Be NautilusArticle
Your Romantic Ideals Don’t Predict Who Your Future Partner Will Be
Aug 5, 2020
Last year, I briefly ran an analogue dating service. I’ll never know what inspired me to start it—maybe my stable relationship had me missing the excitement of single life—but I loved the simplicity of it. There were no questionnaires, no algorithms,
8 min readAffairs Are Only Human, Which Is No Excuse to Have One TIMEArticle
Affairs Are Only Human, Which Is No Excuse to Have One
Nov 6, 2017
3 min readReal Orgasms And Transcendent Pleasure: How Women Are Reigniting Desire NPRArticle
Real Orgasms And Transcendent Pleasure: How Women Are Reigniting Desire
Feb 14, 2020
5 min readWhat Does It Mean to Be ‘Ready’ for a Relationship? The AtlanticArticle
What Does It Mean to Be ‘Ready’ for a Relationship?
May 8, 2019
9 min readHOW TO KEEP THE JOY In Any Marriage New IdeaArticle
HOW TO KEEP THE JOY In Any Marriage
Jun 8, 2020
1 min readThe New Rules Of Attraction ELLE AustraliaArticle
The New Rules Of Attraction
Apr 14, 2019
8 min readThe ‘Untrue’ Woman The AtlanticArticle
The ‘Untrue’ Woman
Sep 28, 2018
5 min readWhat We (Don't) Talk About When We Talk About Porn NPRArticle
What We (Don't) Talk About When We Talk About Porn
May 25, 2019
6 min readSex Ed DIVAArticle
Sex Ed
Nov 21, 2020
4 min readNo, You Can’t Feel Sorry for Everyone: The idea of empathy for all ignores the limits of human psychology. NautilusArticle
No, You Can’t Feel Sorry for Everyone: The idea of empathy for all ignores the limits of human psychology.
Apr 14, 2016
The world seems to be getting more empathetic. Americans donate to charity at record rates. People feel the pain of suffering in geographically distant countries brought to our attention by advances in communications and transportation. Violence, see
5 min readTHE RISE OF micro-cheating ELLE AustraliaArticle
THE RISE OF micro-cheating
Nov 17, 2019
6 min readHow to Stay Married TIMEArticle
How to Stay Married
Jun 4, 2016
12 min readWhen Children Begin To Lie, There's Actually A Positive Takeaway NPRArticle
When Children Begin To Lie, There's Actually A Positive Takeaway
Oct 2, 2017
4 min readKilling The Mood FeminaArticle
Killing The Mood
Feb 10, 2020
3 min readPodcasts For Couples You South AfricaArticle
Podcasts For Couples
Jan 3, 2020
2 min readWhere’s The Nookie In My Marriage? True LoveArticle
Where’s The Nookie In My Marriage?
Jul 22, 2019
3 min readBeyond Romantic Consumerism Dumbo FeatherArticle
Beyond Romantic Consumerism
Jan 31, 2018
4 min readFalling In Limerence WellBeing WildArticle
Falling In Limerence
Oct 20, 2021
9 min readDIVORCE PREDICTORS: 7 Behaviours You Need To Stop Your FamilyArticle
DIVORCE PREDICTORS: 7 Behaviours You Need To Stop
Jul 15, 2019
4 min readWhat’s The Key To A HAPPY MARRIAGE? WomanArticle
What’s The Key To A HAPPY MARRIAGE?
Aug 3, 2021
3 min read3 Crucial Sex Questions For Any New Relationship WomanArticle
3 Crucial Sex Questions For Any New Relationship
May 11, 2021
If you’ve not reached the menopause or have not been sterilised, you’re at risk of pregnancy. Your local sexual health or family planning clinic can help you choose the best contraceptive. If you or your partner has slept with even one other person,
1 min readCONFRONTING THE OTHER WOMAN Noble Or Ratchet? True LoveArticle
CONFRONTING THE OTHER WOMAN Noble Or Ratchet?
Jun 18, 2019
3 min readUp for Polyamory? Creating Alternatives to Marriage The AtlanticArticle
Up for Polyamory? Creating Alternatives to Marriage
Feb 19, 2014
7 min readA Couples Therapist Analyzes the Marriage in Marriage Story The AtlanticArticle
A Couples Therapist Analyzes the Marriage in Marriage Story
Dec 12, 2019
6 min readA Cultural Moment For Polyamory NPRArticle
A Cultural Moment For Polyamory
Mar 23, 2017
3 min read
Reviews for The Chemistry Between Us
Rating: 3.625 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
12 ratings0 reviews